Eight teams of elementary and middle school teachers developed pilot online courses for the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) in the USA. A qualitative case study with focus groups and a follow-up survey helped to identify common needs of these non-traditional course designers during course development efforts. Findings suggest virtual…

This article describes an analytic approach for situating teachers' instructional practices within the institutional settings of the schools and school districts in which they work. The approach treats instructional leadership and teaching as distributed activities and involves first delineating the communities of practice within a school or…

Describes development of San Diego State University's middle level teacher preparation program. Details how the program was designed explicitly to prepare credential candidates to: work effectively with young adolescents; be productive contributors on interdisciplinary teams; serve as effective advisors; accommodate diversity by focusing on the…

Describes the efforts of a group of teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and Arts and Sciences faculty at the University of Georgia to improve an established middle grades teacher preparation program. Details the change process and participants' thoughts and ideas about undergraduate teacher education. (EV)

Describes creation and evaluation of a middle level teacher certification program for both undergraduates and graduates at Maryville University in St. Louis. Notes four conceptual strands flow through the program: developmental, curriculum and instruction, school and society, and inquiry and research. (EV)