The original study upon which this article is based began with a seemingly simple question that had origins in the author's own experiences as a high school teacher. Why do some teachers talk too much when they are teaching, and what can a teacher education program do to address this problem? When informed, then transformed, by available research…

Since 1999 the New Zealand secular school curriculum has included a statement on fostering children's spirituality in classrooms. This statement defines spirituality in a broad fashion and includes reference to Maori (indigenous New Zealander) views on spirituality. The implications of this for classroom teachers have not been researched in this…

This study evaluates the In-Service Education and Training (INSET) programme organised for Kuwait Army instructors. The focus is on their perceptual gain in related topics and skills, as they attended 10 courses at the College of Education--Kuwait University. Pre- and post-assessments involved 20 trainees. The analysis indicates significant…

Adventure racing is a multidisciplinary endurance test completed in teams. There seem to be many benefits in using an adventure race as part of a physical education curriculum. The races can also be linked to many national physical education standards. Adventure Racing C.O.R.E. uses the basic ideas of adventure racing and can be done at any school…

Institutions need effective and efficient methods of professional development for preparing graduate students to teach. These skills are important both for their immediate roles as teaching assistants (TAs) and for their eventual roles in the professoriate. An iterative process model from instructional design can function as a cognitive…

Faced with uncertain budgets and increasing pressure from high-stakes testing, among other challenges, educators easily can fall into the trap of equating teaching with the presentation of information and then blaming students when outcomes are inadequate. To move beyond this simplistic approach, educators must continue developing as teachers who…

In this article, the author presents a first-hand account of teaching environmental protection in the Wushan Mountain area of China. Combining the knowledge in the textbook with social practice, the lessons focused on enabling the students to develop a sense of responsibility and duty through personal experiences. What began as a lesson in…

Advances in technology available to access test data coupled with the challenges of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) are pushing schools to grapple with the complexities of test score data. With the current frenzy to raise test scores, there is little attention being paid to teacher development in learning to use data to improve learning. For the past…

This article presents case studies of middle school science and social studies teachers who used three different curricular cultures to teach units in their subject areas. The teachers participating in the study are aptly described as hard working and successful in terms of satisfactory performance of their students on state assessments over time…

Administrative data on fifth grade students in North Carolina shows that more highly qualified teachers tend to be matched with more advantaged students, both across schools and in many cases within them. This matching biases estimates of the relationship between teacher characteristics and achievement; we isolate this bias in part by focusing on…

This article features graduates of the Chicago-based Academy for Urban School Leadership who are channeled directly into low-performing "turn around" schools where they receive guidance from accomplished veterans. Founded by venture capitalist Martin J. Koldyke, the 5-year-old nonprofit academy is independent of the 426,000-student Chicago system,…

Tim O'Keefe, Rise Reinier and Kevin Gallagher, Bruce Morgan, Julia Lopez-Robertson, Donna Santman, JoAnn Wong-Kam, Sharon Hill, and Linda Christensen provide short essays describing their personal visions of possibility about literacy and how they maintain that passion and vision. Across a range of contexts, they reflect on the ways in which their…

This article describes a combination of a research essay and a creative writing assignment that encourages rigorous academic research while allowing students to get "outside the box" of traditional academic research papers. This assignment has five steps. The first two steps offer the chance to introduce academic research along with summary and…

This case study examines how three dual-language student teachers gain entry in their student-teaching experience. They confront the challenges of meeting the expectations of their cooperating teachers and field supervisors, become familiar with their students' academic strengths and weaknesses, and deliver effective classroom instruction. Each of…

This report summarizes and analyzes the existing body of research related to race-conscious student assignment policies, building upon the amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs filed with the Supreme Court in support of petitioners and respondents in these two cases. The National Academy of Education (NAEd) Board of Directors recognized the…