This study investigated the sustainability effects of the schema-based instruction (SBI) program and corresponding PD on the instructional practices of two cohorts of teachers (i.e., SBI experienced-teacher implementers and SBI novice-teacher implementers) and on students' ability to reason with proportions and overall mathematics performance. SBI…

Educational coaches--whether math, literacy, instructional, or curriculum coaches--vary in the content of the work they do and in the grade range of the teachers with whom they work. But "good coaching is good coaching," as coaching expert Cathy A. Toll affirms in this, her newest book. All coaches seek to help solve problems and…

A local urban school district recently reported that 86% of third graders did not demonstrate proficiency on the Math Standardized Test, which challenges students to solve problems and justify solutions. It is beneficial if these skills are developed prior to third grade. Students may be more academically successful if kindergarten teachers have…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge base on the ways in which assistant principals view their roles, and on the potential challenges involved in a distributed leadership model. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a narrative capture method, in which assistant principals from two large urban school…

The use of a classroom observation tool to monitor differentiation strategies is described, and relevant research findings using the form are reported. The advantages for using this approach to document differentiation are discussed as are the reasons teachers may question its intent. Applications for practice include its use as a self-assessment…

Colleen Vale makes the case for professional learning teams collaborating together to improve their teaching and hence children's achievement. In this article she describes how this may be done. Along the way the teachers explored the idea of equivalence and the common conceptions and misconceptions held by children in their classes.

There are few conversations about teaching these days that do not include talk about teacher quality. Yet, within the conversations about improving teacher quality, the dialogue is often political--consumed with one-dimensional solutions for improving teacher quality, such as linking teacher pay to student performance. Absent from the pervasive…

Originating from the literature on resiliency, adult learning, and professional development, this qualitative study investigated how the relationship between resiliency and adult learning influenced professional development in one suburban-rural school district in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Data represent findings on the perceptions of…

The goal of the two Power of Data (POD) projects was to increase science, technology and math skills through the implementation of project-based learning modules that teach students how to solve problems through data collection and analysis utilizing geospatial technologies. Professional development institutes in two formats were offered to…

As a Response to Intervention approach begins to be utilized in our schools, there is growing confusion regarding the role of teacher assistants/paraeducators in this problem solving approach. In this article, the authors share survey and interview data from their experiences working with Rhode Island teacher assistants--both in leading teacher…

As part of an on-going project designed to impact teacher quality at the pre-service, induction, and professional development levels, this paper summarizes the parametric results of a series of four different workshops conducted in the summer of 2007. In an effort to glean a better understanding of their knowledge, attitudinal, perceptual, and…

The rationale for and documented benefits of collaborative planning and teaching are explored in this article. When teachers collaborate on their planning and teaching, they are better able to meet the needs of diverse students and fulfill their legal responsibilities. In addition, the authors describe the multiple ways to collaborate and coteach,…

Three stages of teacher competence are mastery of teaching skills and procedures, clinical problem solving, and critical reflection on knowledge and values. Neither the stages of development nor the forms of competence are mutually exclusive; rather, there is a progression and a gradual shift in the competence emphasized. (SK)

While supervision is recognized as a crucial aspect of organized education, it has received less attention than it deserves. This book treats educational supervision as a cooperative problem-solving process, rather than an aversive inspection for staff deficiencies. Part I describes benefits of the developmental approach. Part II focuses on the…

Includes "Solving Teaching Problems" (Sutphin); "Teacher Effectiveness Research" (Peters); "Motivating Students across Ability Levels" (Rush, Dean); "Professional Development" (Camp, Heath-Camp); "Addressing Cultural Diversity in the Agriculture Classroom" (Ziebert et al.); "Networking to Prevent and Solve Problems in Agricultural Education"…