Drawing on adult learning theory, this article proposes a coaching stance that is conducive to cultivating teacher agency and developing teacher effectiveness. As university-based teacher educators and literacy coaches in a large urban school district, the authors describe the evolution of three distinct coaching stances, based on a 3-year…

The Professional Learning Community (PLC) model has been used to help faculty develop innovative teaching practices and diffuse effective strategies and resources throughout K-12 schools. Yet, whether and how PLCs influence research-focused higher education institutions remain unknown. Drawing on existing research on PLCs and the social network…

Professional learning communities have developed into one of the greatest tools of school improvement, along with being a critical component of educational reform. The problem addressed in this study was decreased teacher performance and student achievement in six North Carolina schools resulting from negative perceptions of professional learning…

The purpose of this applied research study, using program evaluation, was to improve professional development for teachers to build their capacity in student engagement. This applied research study used three elements: professional development, professional learning communities, and observation-feedback, to improve teacher quality and to increase…

Teams become a key resource for organisations to meet different challenges. Thus a high team performance is essential in work context. The aim of this study was to get a deeper understanding of meaningful team learning and team mental models in educational contexts, by analysing the effect of team learning behaviours (TLBs) on the development of…

Teachers in K-12 education begin their careers underprepared for the complexity and demands of teaching. The current practice of a short span of student teaching and entering classrooms as the sole educator sets teachers up for overwhelm and frustration, which can negatively affect student achievement. New teacher induction programs can support…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are an essential avenue for high-quality change and work. Maintaining unity among groups with differing opinions is challenging. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess elementary teachers' current perceptions of PLCs to determine their effectiveness by answering four research questions: What are the…

Teacher professional development (PD) is about change. One of the most prominent lines of research on PD addresses what makes it an effective change process. This research produces critical features of effective PD, the seemingly active ingredients of teacher change that are meant to guide professionals in the design, implementation, and…

With the increasing demand for improved student achievement in mathematics, few studies have been conducted examining teacher efficacy when continuously supported through a collaborative professional learning community (PLC) structure. This study examined teacher efficacy within PLC activities in a middle school. Both the belief that mathematics…

Teachers and administrators expressed concerns regarding grading English Learner (EL) students in a school district in a mid Atlantic state. Grade retention rates of ELs were disproportionately high. A professional development pilot was designed and implemented based upon the district's recently developed EL Grading Guidelines. The purpose of this…

Effective mentor-mentee pairings tend to increase mentees' efficacy and motivation, bolster commitment, enhance instructional quality, and positively enhance student achievement. In response to situations in which school-provided mentoring is not possible or where music mentees receive a school-assigned, non-music mentor, an increasing number of…

"If well-trained, competent, caring teachers were present in every classroom, we would witness a staggering increase in student achievement, motivation, and character improvement along with a marked decrease in discipline problems" (Breaux & Wong, 2003, p.22). If school districts do not take the initiative to design and implement…

Zip Zap is a Creative Social Enterprise, which offers an author/illustrator-led Continuing Professional Development and Learning (CPDL) programme to develop teacher knowledge, confidence and skills in delivering creative writing and illustration activities, and a Festival of artist-led activities for school pupils. It is one of a number of…

Background: Retention of early-career teachers is a persistent problem in the United States, with 44% of teachers leaving the profession within five years nationally (Ingersoll et al., 2018). Similar trends are seen in Georgia as a whole (Henson et al., 2015), and among Atlanta Public Schools (2019). Retention of Black educators presents an even…

Abstract Educational Leadership in Teaching Excellence (EnLITE) is an 11-month faculty development program at the University of Guelph, Ontario. Created and led by faculty members and educational developers, EnLITE is designed to engage participants in the principles, practice and theory of teaching and learning in higher education and to promote…