Although the authority for hiring a community college president resides with the board of trustees, few studies have directly explored trustees' perceptions of the desired qualifications for presidents. Using a Delphi process, this study identified the characteristics, competencies, and professional experiences that Illinois community college…

This article examines a model of professional development called "video clubs" in which teachers watch and discuss excerpts of videos from their classrooms. We investigate how participation in a video club influences teachers' thinking and practice by exploring three related contexts: (a) teachers' comments during video-club meetings, (b)…

This paper explores the role of engaging teachers in constructive dialogue within ICT professional development activity. As part of an ICT professional development program, sixteen teachers across eight geographically removed schools participated in an online threaded discussion forum for a school year. Data reported in this paper are generated…

At a time when teacher quality has emerged as a key factor in student learning, a statistical technique that determines the "value added" that teachers bring to student achievement is getting new scrutiny. Value-added measures compare students' growth in achievement to their expected growth, based on prior achievement and demographic…

Around the world reforms in teacher education have been oriented towards making the preparation of teachers more functional for development of competencies they need in practice. At the same time, much criticism has been voiced about such reforms jeopardising the fundamental humanist traditions in teaching, based on beliefs about non-instrumental…

Videotape and participant observation were used to document an American high school teacher workgroup's experience with collaborative teacher inquiry and to monitor changes in practice through two cycles of instructional planning, classroom implementation, and reflective analysis. Detectable changes in practice were observed, including a…

Part of the responsibility of early childhood educators is to help the children in their care develop into thoughtful, kind, contributing members of society. This includes being accepting and welcoming of those who are "different." Staff should be prepared to answer questions from young children regarding differences in race, ethnicity,…

Kentucky has become the first state to adopt common academic standards that were drafted as part of a nationwide initiative to establish a widely shared and ambitious vision of student learning. With a unanimous vote this month, the Kentucky board of education approved the substitution of the common standards in mathematics and English/language…

For the past six years, the Cranford Public School District and Seton Hall University in northern New Jersey, USA, have been Professional Development School partners. As a result of this partnership, experienced teachers have systematically mentored pre-service candidates in university field experiences. The Japanese practice of Lesson Study was…

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to focus on the learner-centered belief systems of students in early field placements and as intern teachers. This study provided an empirical test of the strengths of the university's clinical continuum and professional development school placements. The results indicate that perceptions of…

This investigation sought to determine if there was a difference in the development of effective urban teacher characteristics after completing a traditional internship experience or a Professional Development School internship experience. The Urban Teacher Selection Interview was used to assess 10 characteristics including persistence, value of…

Research in the out-of-school time (OST) field confirms a strong connection between professional development for staff and positive experiences and outcomes for youth. In recent years, the OST community has invested significant time and money into researching, creating, implementing, and evaluating professional development activities for OST…

This study examines one professional development program, The Next Educational Wave ("NEW") Teachers' Collaborative, and its effect on a self-selected group of five first-year teachers. Unlike standard induction programs based on traditional professional development models, the "NEW" program assumes that beginning teachers, like more established…

Throughout the United States school systems are aware of the teacher shortage. The projected need to fill 2.2 million positions by 2010 will increase throughout the educational field, especially in areas of high poverty schools and particular content areas. Therefore, it is crucial to provide the best type of mentoring program to retain the best…

This study looked at the relationship of an enabling school structure and mindfulness toward teacher empowerment. An enabling school structure is the perception in which leadership fosters collaboration, innovation, and trust among participants. Its rules and procedures are flexible and promote problem-solving (Hoy & Sweetland, 2000, 2001).…