Student psychology--how the classroom looks and feels from the perspective of the student--can powerfully affect motivation and learning, and experiments are increasingly showing that even brief interventions to change psychology can boost achievement over months or years. When paired with other structural reforms, social-psychological…

It is 40-plus years since the upstart Professional Development Program was initiated at Simon Fraser University. Among its many audacious innovations, the program offered opportunities for practicing teachers to play leading roles in the professional development of student teachers. Seconded (temporarily released) to the university for two-year…

Student teacher and former investment banker working in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, describes his experience and reflects on the strength of human spirit and collective action. (PKP)

Discusses reaction to satirical letter criticizing teachers for spending extra time with weaker students published in the March 23, 2001, issue of the "San Jose Mercury News" by a former professor of mathematics and computer science. (PKP)

An experienced teacher deplores the loony test questions used to make pass/fail decisions for Atlanta-area students. Test resistance is growing. Concerned teachers and parents nationwide are mailing copies of high-stakes tests to the media, lobbying legislators, spearheading protest organizations, and challenging politicians to take tests. (MLH)

Modeling faculty meetings after the "rugtime" format used in primary classrooms has helped the faculty and principal at an Illinois elementary school regain their sense of smallness and concentrate on single-topic reflections and discussion. The emerging quality of conversation defines and extends the faculty community. (MLH)

A program using professional-development support teams in lieu of a traditional formal evaluation system has certified staff members in Santa Cruz, California, schools feeling more positive about a formerly meaningless, demoralizing process. Key program elements include choice, support, stimulation, trust, and respect for peers' judgment. Teacher…

Teachers generally feel that the evaluation models surfacing in response to state and national mandates are monistic, mechanistic, and inappropriate. Based on North Carolina's experience with the Teacher Performance Appraisal Instrument, an alternative instrument comparing teachers' suppositional and propositional pedagogical styles was created.…

Summarizes findings of a five-year study of eight schools participating in the Coalition of Essential Schools/Education of the States Re:Learning project. Most schools appeared to lack consensus about the need for fundamental changes in school structure or teaching practices; changes began slowly, with individual or small-group efforts that…

All classes at the K-8 (40-student) Aleknagit School in southwest Alaska revolve around a theme that has a science or social studies emphasis. A thematic approach encourages holistic study of a subject and reflects the most recent research on how the brain comes to know. According to three teachers involved with the program, results have been…

Despite higher expectations for student learning that require problem-solving, in-depth discussions, and extended small-group projects, central-office directives (in response to standards and testing pressures) are proliferating and intruding on instructional time. These and other routine interruptions convinced the author to end a decade-long…

Reviews teacher behavior research under the categories of (1) model systems, (2) instructional processes, and (3) teacher behavior characteristics. (Author)

A project conducted by two university instructors and a group of Madison-area primary teachers attempted to improve at-risk students' early literacy capabilities. The Teachers Helping Teachers project helped participating teachers create their own small professional-development communities, emphasize children's strengths, and improve instruction.…

Short-term fixes may boost test scores without improving learning. Schools focused on higher standards and instructional reform should reorganize and condense state, district, and national standards; adopt a "less is more" approach; support collaborative improvement efforts; and link assessment to a high-quality learning environment.…

Effectiveness cannot be found in the mediocrity arising from programs that require lessons, teaching strategies, and precisely executed materials to ensure integrity. Expensive, scripted programs like Success for All are designed not to improve teaching, but to render the art of teaching unnecessary. (MLH)