Demands placed on novice teachers, who must perform at the level of experienced educators from day one, underscore the need for effective educational mentorship programs. Without proper mentorship, many novice teachers leave the profession within five years. Successful mentorship programs contribute to teacher retention, student achievement,…

This study aimed to examine the effect of participation in teacher mentoring programs and professional learning community (PLC) activities on a teacher's sense of professional self-efficacy. Participants in the study evaluated mentoring programs and PLC activities and the influence of each on their sense of professional self-efficacy. An…

Providing an accessible and equitable education for all students has been an ongoing process mandated by the Managing for Equality and Equity initiative to close the achievement and opportunity gaps among students. This qualitative study examined Black superintendents' perspectives about the effectiveness and impact of diversity, equity, and…

Lesson study, especially when conducted with support from targeted resources, is often identified as a potentially effective means to support teacher learning. In this study, 80 school-based teams of educators, representing 80 classrooms of third- or fourth-grade students in the US, were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: lesson study…

This article describes a research-enriched, action-oriented plan for supporting educators in PreK-12 district-wide mentoring through online professional development inspired by Kram's model.

The incorporation of Arts Integration in today's classroom has been utilized in an effort to promote higher levels of student engagement and learning. This teaching strategy exposes students to a new way of learning which researchers have said can lead to increased student attendance, engagement, and achievement (Darts, 2006; Gajda & Dorfram,…

In response to the adoption of the Common Core State Standards for Language Arts Literacy by the New Jersey Department of Education, Chesterport K-8 Public School District implemented a district-wide program to promote reading skills across all academic subjects called the Close Read Initiative (CRI). This study reviews and analyzes the Stanton…

The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to examine the effectiveness of a blended learning community of practice model in providing professional development to improve K-12 teacher's self-efficacy in the implementation of personalized learning. Eighteen teachers participated in a nine-month professional development program focused on…

This study examines the effect of teacher preparedness and the effectiveness of professional development that has been designed to enhance special education instructional strategies. The purpose of this qualitative study is to determine the preparedness level of general teachers and special education teachers that enable them to effectively teach…

The purpose of this research study was to determine differences between teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of professional development related to the integration of technology into the curriculum with respect to teachers' years in education, highest degree level earned, and self-assessed technology usage level. Technology integration is a…

It is important that school employees understand the meaning of Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying [HIB] as defined by NJ's HIB legislation as a result of the professional development [PD] opportunities provided by their school district. Adequate training on HIB, HIB legislation, and intervention/prevention strategies is paramount in reducing…

Higher order thinking skills have been embedded into state teaching standards, including Standard 9 of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) for 21st Century Life and Careers. These standards aim to encourage problem solving, critical thinking, reasoning, and real-world application in order to prepare students for the workplace…

As school districts across the country attempt to comply with federal and state mandates to effectively integrate technology into today's teaching and learning, they must face the challenge of also developing professional development plans which will adequately and successfully prepare teachers for implementing these new resources and these new…

Struggling students' poor reading and comprehension skills have continued to be a national problem. A New Jersey Department of Education report showed that of 311,628 middle school students tested in language arts, 26.2% scored at the partial proficiency level and 58.5% scored at the proficiency level. Further review of the middle schools in a…

This publication is part of the Leading by Exemplar project, a multi-year study conducted by Bellwether Education Partners. In this project, every aspect of the Head Start exemplars' program design and practice was closely examined in an effort to understand each program's "secret sauce." Leading by Exemplar has three goals: (1) to…