In 1998, Sturrock and Else introduced the Play Cycle which has been integrated into both playwork theory and practice. An online survey with 157 responses found that playworkers' understanding Play Cycle varied to how they were first introduced to the theory. In addition, understandings of the six elements of the Play Cycle were significantly…

This article shows how one school in the Northeastern United States used professional development school-university relationships to create inclusive education practices to better support students with disability labels transitioning out of self-contained classrooms and into inclusive classrooms. Through this article, I address a dearth of PDS…

Education policies are enacted differently according to school contexts and geographies. This is particularly the case in large countries such as Australia where context and geographies for schooling differ greatly. Within regional, rural and remote Australia, schools are witnessing a trend in geographic disadvantage in that as distance from urban…

Communicative approaches have been a dominant paradigm in foreign/second language teaching since the 1980s. However, they are not widely accepted by teachers in many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. The current study adopted an action research approach to study classroom practice in a Taiwanese EFL secondary school, to identify and…

While there has been an increased focus on inquiry-based learning in teacher preparation programs, little is known about the influences of these programs on teacher development over time. Using activity theory as its theoretical framework, the researcher employed a longitudinal interpretative case study design to examine the development of three…

The article draws on a policy experiment, intended to develop guidelines and recommendations for teacher evaluation. A systematic review, used in the experiment, revealed that teacher evaluation fails to fulfill its formative intention, and is reduced to summative technicalities when systems violate acknowledged principles from evaluation…

Although teachers' commitment to continuous professional learning is crucial for high quality education, research shows that this learning cannot be taken for granted. To better understand how teachers' learning at work can be supported, this study investigates how effects of job demands (i.e. work pressure and emotional pressure) and job…

This participatory action research involved Belizean and American educators engaged in professional development work that became increasingly collaborative. First, we describe early focus on resources and teaching strategies. Next, we discuss shifting to a more participatory, dialogic approach. We then explain how intentional engagement in…

Building on previous studies of ESL and content teachers' collaboration, this qualitative case study relied on Davies and Harré's positioning theory as a theoretical lens to examine the influences that collaboration between an ESL teacher and a language arts teacher had on the language arts teacher's approach to planning for and teaching ESL…

Traditional professional development is often characterized as being expensive, time consuming, and lacking impact. In contrast, online professional development provides greater flexibility and is becoming increasingly popular for school personnel. In this article, we report the process and outcomes of gathering feedback to adapt traditional…

State education leaders have committed to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed in the college or career path of their choice, including students with disabilities, who, across the country, continue to fare worse than their peers, as measured by learning and behavioral outcomes. Despite increased rates of inclusion in general…

The Wallace Foundation's Principal Supervisor Initiative (PSI) was a four-year effort to redefine principal supervision in six urban school districts. Launched in 2014, the PSI aimed to help these districts transform the principal supervisor position from a role that traditionally focused on managerial tasks to one dedicated to developing and…

Talented leaders are essential to building and sustaining successful organizations. This is especially true for schools, where principal leadership plays a major role in fostering student success. Research shows that principals are a significant school-level factor affecting student achievement, second only to classroom teachers. Like other types…

Traditional professional development is often characterized as being expensive, time consuming, and lacking impact. In contrast, online professional development provides greater flexibility and is becoming increasingly popular for school personnel. In this article, we report the process and outcomes of gathering feedback to adapt traditional…

Physician Assistant (PA) education is based on a model of didactic instruction followed by clinical experiences under the supervision of practicing health care providers, termed "clinical preceptors." These supervised clinical practice experiences provide real-world opportunities for students to practice the skills of patient care and…