In this commentary, the authors aim to connect the provocative topic of this special issue--"'The Village and the World': Research with, for, and by Teachers in an Age of Data" to several key ideas about practitioner inquiry that they have developed and explored over the years. They begin by highlighting three dimensions of their concept…

Teachers working together in learning communities is a popular aspect of school reform projects in countries around the world. However, teacher communities vary greatly from one another. This article describes two communities whose purpose is to help teachers work for equity by focusing on questions that emerge from practice and from genuine…

Many scholars have concluded that teacher education research needs to take a complex view, resist simplification, and account more fully for teacher education's contexts and processes as well as its impact on teacher candidates' and school students' learning (Cochran-Smith & Zeichner, 2005; Grossman & McDonald, 2008; Opfer & Pedder,…

In today's policy and political climate, where teacher quality is widely assumed to be the single most important influence on students' learning, viewpoints about where, when, and how people learn to teach are mixed. However, most teachers and teacher educators continue to believe that teachers learn how to teach over time. This article looks…

Learning to teach never ends. In fact, learning to teach is no longer thought of as a one-time process of "teacher training" where student teachers are equipped with theory and methods and then sent out to "practice" teaching. Likewise, continued education for experienced teaching is no longer thought of as a process of periodic "staff…

In this long-awaited sequel to "Inside/Outside: Teacher Research and Knowledge", two leaders in the field of practitioner research offer a radically different view of the relationship of knowledge and practice and of the role of practitioners in educational change. In their new book, the authors put forward the notion of inquiry as stance as a…

Currently the press to make policy and practice decisions on the basis of evidence is being coupled with recognition that real change requires shifts in organizational culture. Consequently, there are now many efforts to "re-culture" organizations by making evidence central to decision making. In this article, the authors problematize the notion…

In many teacher education programs, some form of inquiry or practitioner research is now included in the preservice teacher education curriculum. The intention is to help teacher candidates become professionals who are lifelong learners who raise questions and research their practice across the professional career. At the same time, teacher…

In an effort to make decisions about teacher education policy and practice that were informed by research and evidence, participants in Boston College's "Teachers for a New Era" Evidence Team (http://www.teachersforanewera.org) designed a portfolio of assessments and studies. This article describes one project in the portfolio--a series…

In contrast to current education policies that conceptualize pupil learning largely in terms of standardized exam scores, we offer an alternative view, one that conceives of pupil learning as a source of insight for pupils and teachers alike. Drawing on survey data and a qualitative study of the teacher candidate experience, we explore the…

Analyzes four teacher educator communities in different contexts and entry points across the career lifespan, making the case that the education of teacher educators is substantially enriched when inquiry is a stance on the overall enterprise of teaching, schooling, and teacher education. The four illustrations are: unlearning racism, reinventing…

Discusses the recent interest in teacher research and inquiry, arguing that part of what makes it an official movement is that teacher research stems from various intellectual traditions and educational projects. Identifies five trends that characterize the movement and discusses the future of the movement in the face of current reforms that…

Systematic intentional inquiry by teachers makes accessible some of teachers' expertise and provides universities and schools with unique perspectives on teaching and learning. A four-part working typology of teacher research is proposed, with examples of the four types: journals, essays, oral inquiry processes, and classroom studies. (IAH)

Explores some of the tensions between inquiry and outcomes in preservice teacher preparation, positing three outcomes of an inquiry stance: complex notions of what counts as learning for K- 12 students; examination of attitudes, values, and beliefs about diversity, U.S. society, and teachers' responsibilities; and understandings of teacher…