To succeed in college, career and life in the 21st century, students must be supported in mastering both content and skills. This Implementation Guide presents state leaders, policymakers and/or district and school leaders with assessment tactics and examples to assist in statewide 21st century skills initiatives. The Partnership for 21st Century…

As the 2013-2014 school year approaches, more and more schools across the United States are finding it problematic to meet the annual measurable objective of 100 percent of the school's population meeting its adequate yearly progress (AYP) target, as prescribed by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation of 2002. Pursuant to NCLB,…

The current study investigated the Lecture Teaching Method and Socratic Teaching Method to determine if there was a relationship between pedagogical methods and Counselor Self-Efficacy (CSE). A course in Advanced Professional Development was utilized to determine if teaching methods could affect student perceptions of competence to practice…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and explain teachers' perceptions about effective professional development as well as to identify the environmental factors that affect the teacher participants' ability to engage in and implement various behaviors and beliefs transferred from the professional development experience. Four…

Recreation professionals use outdoor programs in rustic settings to promote the intellectual, physical, emotional, and professional development of their students. One important aspect of personal growth is to develop the ability to think critically about one's own learning, and journaling is one approach for achieving this goal. Outdoor programs…

School and classroom structures designed to meet the needs of the industrial past cannot "maintain the temperature required for sustaining life." Recent learning sciences research findings compel educators to invent new learning environments better suited to meet the demands of the 21st century. These new learning environments require…

Increasing attention is being paid to professional development as a way to improve outcomes for students but its promise has not always been realised. Broadly speaking, approaches to professional development have either focused on developing better prescriptions for teaching practice or on collaborative reflective inquiry into practice. Neither…

Technology integration happens when schools remove barriers, incorporate appropriate pedagogy and instructional strategies, and provide opportunities and support for teachers and students in the classroom. Assisting teachers in the classroom as they gain the confidence and skills needed to be successful in sustaining new practices is a critical…

While numerous previous studies have focused on the use of some corporate e-learning programmes (CELP), little is known about the difference between users' pre-installation reactions to CELP and user's post-installation reactions to CELP. This study narrows the above gap with two investigations into a financial company's CELP. In the…

This article reports on an investigation of how teachers of geometry perceived an episode of instruction presented to them as a case of engaging students in proving. Confirming what was hypothesized, participants found it remarkable that a teacher would allow a student to make an assumption while proving. But they perceived this episode in various…

"Human capital" is quickly becoming the new site-based management. While few are sure what it means, everyone craves it, has a model to deliver it, and is quick to tout its restorative powers. It's trendy and impressive sounding, but too often settles for recycling familiar nostrums or half-baked ideas in the guise of new jargon. To…

The Bay Area Foreign Language Program (BAFLP), one of nine regional sites of the California Foreign Language Project, offers ongoing, year-round professional development programs for world language educators. In addition, its leadership program prepares selected educators to assume leadership positions at their school sites, building capacity for…

Research Findings: There is growing evidence that specific, teacher-led instruction and innovative instructional activities can lead to higher levels of achievement in literacy and in mathematics for young children at risk. There is limited research evidence, however, identifying professional development interventions that are effective in…

Combining two metaphors we argue that apart from official educational policy, there exists a "palimpsest" of cumulatively added prior policies sedimented in teachers' pedagogy, in addition to quasi-official "phantom" policies formed at the local level. We argue that these affect teachers' practices and beliefs in ways that may…

Fourth-grader Nicholas is a homebound cancer patient who attends Plainview Elementary School in rural Chesterfield County, South Carolina. This year he was provided a laptop and webcam as part of Chesterfield County School District's Student Technology and Education Proficiency (STEP) initiative. Prior to the implementation of the STEP program in…