The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine the impact of a school-based, job-embedded professional development program on elementary and middle school teacher efficacy for technology integration. Participant bi-weekly journal postings were analyzed using Grappling's "Technology and Learning Spectrum" (Porter, 2001) to…

Background: Little is known about factors that influence home-based child care providers' participation in professional development. Factors that predict participation in activities that are designed to promote the utilization and maintenance of skills taught are of particular interest. Objective: Our aim was to examine factors in the home-based…

Reading research indicates a student's academic achievement is connected to his or her reading ability (Tindall & Nisbet, 2010). Children do not have sufficient reading skills because they lack the literacy skills necessary to be successful readers. These fundamental areas include phonics, reading comprehension, fluency, alphabetic awareness,…

The Race to the Top Assessment program was authorized as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). In September 2010, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) awarded competitive, four-year grants to two consortia of states, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the Smarter…

This study examined the experiences of three vocal jazz ensemble directors who influenced the field through their successful programs at the university level. These directors, Dr. Gene Aitken, Professor Larry Lapin, and Dr. Stephen Zegree, were chosen because of their national reputations as well as their program's longevity and success. The…

Due to the immense growth of community colleges since the 1960s and particularly over the last decade, a leadership gap now exists as presidents, provosts, and deans retire in record numbers. This diminished leadership pipeline can be attributed to two main factors: the obvious increase in retirement of senior executives completing their academic…

This exploratory study investigated the long-term learning resulting from participation in a LeaderShape program. The research examined LeaderShape graduates' current practices and definitions of leadership to see if they remain consistent with the program's learning goals. Graduates with five or more years since attendance were studied to provide…

This article summarizes current research on effective professional development and offers a checklist for school leaders to use when designing learning opportunities for teachers. Effective professional development engages teachers in learning opportunities that are supportive, job-embedded, instructionally-focused, collaborative, and ongoing.…

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…

The purpose of this article is to describe the Quality Educators Academy (QEA), a year-long training for K-8 classroom teachers that was funded by a NC ESEA Title II-A Improving Teacher Quality (NC QUEST) Grant. Key features of the project as well as the design and content of the training contributed to success in recruiting, retaining, and…

Grantmakers for Education's Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking identify "innovation" and "constant learning" as a core proposition for achieving results in education philanthropy. To illustrate this principle, "Learning by Doing" examines the Noyce Foundation's efforts to apply new information to its…

Schools are an important context for children's social and emotional development. In classrooms and other school settings, children and adolescents need to have skills such as managing negative emotions, being calm and focused, following directions, and navigating relationships with peers and adults. To build and support these skills, schools have…

Little attention was paid to professional development of primary teachers in Ireland to support them in teaching physical education (PE) until 2004 when specific support was provided to help them implement the revised Primary Physical Education Curriculum. A significant National In-service Physical Education Programme was undertaken involving the…

This study examined the motivational orientations of 166 graduate students enrolled in distance education courses at a state university. Data were collected utilizing Boshier's Education Participation Scale A-Form and analyses were completed for overall results, by gender and age, by academic program and by preferred method of distance course…

This paper explores three influences on the effectiveness of teacher professional development for improving schools--the individual teacher, the learning activities in which teachers participate and the structures and supports provided by schools for teacher learning. It does so by relying on survey data collected for a national study of teacher…