Celebrations enrich the lives of students, staff members, and school communities. The authors provide powerful, compelling stories; proven strategies; and practical tools for embedding celebration into school culture. Drawing on insights from schools and districts, this book empowers K-12 teachers and administrators to create a celebratory…

Multiple meta-analyses have now documented small positive effects of teacher professional development (PD) on pupil test scores. However, the field lacks any validated explanatory account of what differentiates more from less effective in-service training. As a result, researchers have little in the way of advice for those tasked with designing or…

Education policies across sub-Saharan Africa require teachers to change from being transmitters of knowledge to facilitators of learning. This means that teacher education needs to change as well and professional development which focuses on practical teaching is urgently needed. The Teacher Education for sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) MOOC --…

This concurrent, mixed-methods case study explores faculty valuation of economic and social rewards after participating in at least one of four educational development programs offered by our Center of Teaching and Learning (CTL) at a large, public, R1 institution. We wanted to know if the effectiveness of such programs might vary depending on the…

There are inconsistent completion rates of professional development among elementary school teachers in a school district in the rural southeast. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary teachers' perceptions of the value of professional development to improve teaching and what motivates them to complete the…

Chinese secondary school vocational education has been given increased prominence over recent years to support the country's need for a highly skilled workforce and continued economic growth. The integration of secondary vocational and higher vocational education to move towards a tertiary system embodying lifelong education with Chinese…

Research on the impacts of mindfulness trainings (MTs) on teachers' psychological health and wellbeing suggests that MTs may be especially well-suited to preparing teachers for the unique demands of the profession (Iancu et al., 2017; Klingbeil & Renshaw, 2018). However, few studies have investigated whether different teachers benefit in…

The commonly held view that science takes third place in primary education provided the motivation for a team of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) tutors at Durham University to work with science leaders in a Teaching School Alliance in County Durham. After a series of planning meetings, a project entitled 'A Year of Science: using speaking and…

Compared to average workers in the United States, teachers exhibit higher levels of job-related stress, with roughly half of teachers showing signs of burnout. For policymakers and school leaders, some promising levers to lower teacher burnout are salaries, work schedules, and working conditions. This brief describes the findings of a new impact…

Organizations spend millions of dollars training employees in ways to improve their skills--recently through mandatory professional development delivered virtually or through online asynchronous platforms. This research investigated how social exchange theory and self-efficacy theory inform faculty participants' motivation to transfer such…

Motivated teachers are more likely to exhibit enhanced interest, persistence, and confidence when engaged in professional development (PD); yet, facilitators often neglect teacher motivation when implementing PD. Self-determination theory suggests that social and environmental contextual factors influence the psychological need of relatedness…

This dissertation came to fruition because of my long history as a public-school educator and leader, and my deep admiration for the educators who have dedicated their lives to public service and growing young people. We no longer live in a time in which educators dedicate their life to teaching or leading in public schools. Teacher and…

This qualitative case study explored the perspectives of teachers towards their professional development (PD) in a school with a high population of low-income students. The study focus was driven by critical theory with a unique application of attribution theory as a part of the data analysis. This moved the data analysis beyond simply a…

This case study explores Costa Rica's National Executive Decree No. 31.900, requiring all public schools in the country participate in the National Program of Science and Technology Fairs (Programa Nacional de Ferias de Ciencia y Tecnología [PRONAFECYT]). The purpose of the decree is to promote innovation and to prepare students with the skills to…

Educational technology (EdTech) plays a vital role in teaching and learning with e-learning ensuring equal access to education and continuity even when contact classes are impossible. The South African departments of education are making efforts to realize the use of technology in schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has an adverse impact on the…