This study examined the practices of four mentor teachers in a PDS context over the course of three months from March 2015-May 2015. The purpose of the study was to better understand and answer the following research questions: (1) What are the self-reported practices of mentors in the PDS context?; (2) Why do the mentors engage in these…

Effective professional learning evaluation requires consideration of five critical stages or levels of information. These five levels, which are presented in this article, represent an adaptation of an evaluation model developed by Kirkpatrick (1959, 1998) for judging the value of supervisory training programs in business and industry.…

School-university partnerships also known as professional development school (PDS) partnerships provide potential for universities and schools to establish partnerships that can benefit university faculty, school teachers, university students, and school students. This study examines the impact of a PDS partnership in which the author served as a…

A range of education initiatives in the U.S. are focusing on ways to improve curriculum, instruction, teacher development, and student assessment related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Key indicators to monitor the quality of STEM education have been proposed by the National Research Council. This paper is…

This article explores one thread from a larger, longitudinal research project that investigated the views and experiences of teacher educators in Malaysia and from the United Kingdom who were involved in collaboration for the co-construction of a Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Primary Mathematics, with English and health and physical education…

In conditions of continuous education reform teacher self-development is indispensable to provide high quality of teaching as well as simply to maintain the job. The goals of the paper are to analyze the intrinsic and extrinsic motives for teachers to be engaged in self-development, to show the difference between the terms "development"…

In this article, the researchers use positioning theory and de Certeau's theoretical insights into cultural production in everyday life to examine how first-year literacy coaches negotiate issues of power, positioning, and identity during their professional development. Data were collected during a yearlong qualitative study of literacy coaches…

This paper reports finding of the study that sought to ascertain the extent of ICT-pedagogical integration in mathematics instruction among secondary school teachers in Kenya. Information was sought on professional development experiences and needs in computer technology use in mathematics instruction, the type of computer software used in…

A small group of new academic developers reflected on their induction into the profession and wondered if things could have been done differently. The researchers decided to question the directors of three tertiary academic development units about how they recruited new developers, what skills and competences they looked for and how they inducted…

In California, as in many other states across the nation, implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been a complex endeavor impacting every public school educator. Not surprisingly, California districts have encountered bumps along the way in their efforts to provide much-needed support to all K-12 teachers as they continue to learn…

This article describes how a literacy learning community model was developed between two high school partnership sites and a large southern public university, and how teacher collaboration and shared learning across content areas in the first year impacted teachers' learning about literacy instruction and their school's vision for literacy.…

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to investigate, through interviews, secondary teachers' perceptions of the level of the value, applicability, and implementation of skills learned within professional development offerings in the targeted school district. Non-probability, stratified, purposeful sampling was utilized to…

Appreciative advising is an innovative academic advising method based on the organizational development theory of appreciative inquiry. This approach emphasizes student strengths through a collaborative relationship between advisor and student using open-ended questions and focusing on positive potential. This study addressed the local problem of…

Professional development is a recognized approach to improving the quality of instruction in schools. The goal of professional development is to increase teachers' knowledge and improve their practices, which lead to enhanced student learning. The problem with providing staff development is the high cost incurred by presenters' fees, and…

Research documenting teachers' fragile understanding of proof and how it is advanced suggests that enhancing the role of proof in school mathematics will demand substantial teacher learning. To date, there is little research detailing what mathematical knowledge might support the teaching of proof or how professional development (PD) might afford…