Although the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework has been effective in designing tools and lessons, implementation of the Framework to design entire learning environments possesses its own limitations in research. This paper describes a quasi-experimental study of the effects of a professional development program on teachers'…

Reflecting growing emphasis on data analysis and statistical thinking in the information age, mathematics curriculum standards in the U.S. have recently increased expectations for student learning in the domain of statistics and probability. More than 180 teachers in 36 public school districts in Florida applied for a two-week summer institute…

New computer science standards are being rapidly introduced at the elementary level but little is known about how to prepare teachers to learn and teach the content of these standards, or how to support students with disabilities in learning computer science. Accordingly, we designed and studied the Inclusive Computer Science Model of Professional…

We describe the impact of an African American history centred collaborative teacher study group (CTSG) professional development experience on the cultural competence of 20 secondary Social Studies and English Language Arts educators. Using mixed methods, baseline data indicated slight movement from the colourblind to the cultural pre-competence…

The meaning of literacy has drastically transformed over the past two decades, and it continues to evolve. Literacy extends beyond the traditional reading, writing, listening, and speaking. "Multiliteracies" was coined by the New London Group (1996) and includes digital literacy, new literacy, visual literacy, computer literacy, and…

Through case-study reports, this paper examines the development of two induction-year teachers (years one to three) through their participation in a professional development community in the United States: the Invitational Summer Institute (ISI) of the National Writing Project. Typically, the ISI focuses its professional development efforts on…

The experience and reflection of participants of the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI) program are the focus of this article. Many Kansas superintendents face the challenge of working hundreds of miles from colleagues who wear similar hats and work in comparable roles. Often the closest professional mentors or peers live hours away,…

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a teacher professional development program on the classroom teaching practices of the participants. This particular professional development program included an intensive summer institute, 8 monthly follow-up sessions, informal participant-professor mentoring and peer networking. The majority…

This study examines how to fill the growing need for community college leaders by creating "grow-your-own" (GYO) leadership programs through a national interview study and a case study involving action research. The findings demonstrate design flaws that are typical in the development of GYO programs. Strategies for overcoming these flaws are…

Student achievement in mathematics has been a focal concern in the United States for many years. The National Research Council's 2001 report and the recent report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) both called attention to student achievement in mathematics, and both called for all students to learn algebra by the end of eighth…

This paper describes the signature role played by accomplished, experienced teachers in professional learning communities, and the importance that these practitioners make their teaching public and shared. In so doing, the authors describe how accomplished practices can be shared between classrooms and between practitioners with varying levels of…

Peter Senge's (1990) theory of organizational change includes teams that perceive the whole of the organization; grow professionally; navigate short- and long-term organizational experiences through exposed mental models; share a vision; and hear each voice in an ongoing communal learning process. The Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute for Teaching…

This report presents results of a study completed in fall 2004 by Inverness Research Associates on behalf of the National Writing Project (NWP). The study was designed to satisfy a U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) requirement that programs assess participants' satisfaction with their professional development experiences, and also assess the…

The annual Institute for School Administrators, founded on Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Knowles' theory of adult learning, was initiated in 1979 at the University of California, Berkeley. After identifying participants' needs, a panel of school administrators and university professors develop the annual program. The Institute's general goals…

In July of 2005, the American Association of Physics Teachers/Physics Teacher Resource Agents (AAPT/PTRA) Rural Project gathered 73 PTRAs at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City for the annual AAPT/PTRA Leadership Institute. The major goal for the summer institute is to provide the PTRAs with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively lead…