Discusses what four teachers and their staff developer (each of whom wrote an article for this themed issue of this journal) learned over their two-year journey, a journey in which the goal was to improve their writing workshops. (RS)

In an invitational learning environment (Purkey, 1991; Schmidt, 2004), 7 teachers began the process of identifying their cultural identity and perspectives, naming ways that they used their cultural identity with their culturally diverse students, and discovering culturally responsive teaching pedagogies that they could use in their classrooms. In…

This investigation is a secondary analysis of a data set (N=283) drawn from a national, probability sample of clinical social workers in the United States. The original study used a cross-sectional, correlational survey design to gather information on practitioners' personal religious/spiritual beliefs and practices; professional attitudes,…

The perception that engineers and scientists are intelligent Caucasian men who are socially inept and absent-minded people is prevalent among students of all levels, from elementary school to college. While the media may, by chance or choice, promote this image, the reality is that most engineers are men. These stereotypical images of engineers…

This study explored the development of a community of learners through a professional development program to improve teachers' views of nature of science (NOS) and teaching practice. The "Views of Nature of Science" questionnaire and interviews were used to assess teachers' conceptions of NOS three times over the course of the study. Notes and…

From an early age, young children, when given the opportunity, demonstrate their interest and enthusiasm for writing. Toddlers spontaneously pick up pencils and crayons to make marks on paper, walls, and floors. Preschoolers' scribbles are indications of their growing understanding of how print and story work. Their oral stories are often…

Adolescent English-language learners (ELLs) encounter increasingly difficult academic language as they progress through school. This article describes the design of an after-school intervention, Language Workshop, created to help middle school ELLs build their knowledge of academic vocabulary words. Evidence-based principles of vocabulary…

There are few professional development courses in Australia for the rural sector concerned with climate variability, climate change and sustainable agriculture. The lack of educators with a sound technical background in climate science and its applications in agriculture prevents the delivery of courses either stand-alone or embedded in other…

As the population of the United States becomes more diverse, both challenges and opportunities are created for the educational system. The gap that currently exists between a predominantly White, middle class, female teaching workforce and an increasingly heterogeneous population of students is one of the key factors that shapes these challenges.…

The "Practice Notes" section is intended to keep readers informed about health education practice around the country. It is an attempt to spread the word about exemplary strategies, initiatives, and programs and share successes in overcoming obstacles or challenges. This article features two new programs on health education: (1) Project FIESTA;…

Scott McLeod says the great sin in the way professional development is provided in this country is one of omission. On his blog, McLeod, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State University and the coordinator of the department's Educational Administration Program, writes, "Most of our…

Not too many years ago, right about the start of the new millennium, the TAMU-CC Writing Center began to pull away from the model of a center that focuses mostly on individual consultations and began to build a greater sense of the place of the Writing Center in the larger university Writing Community. In this article, we share how we have built…

Online conversations help teachers engage in constructive criticism and attend more carefully to aligning lesson plans with problem solving. This article describes a strategy for using an online discussion board to help teachers evaluate one another's lesson plans. The online peer-review activity suggests that fostering critical pedagogical…

Involving parents in the school activities of their children will enable them to successfully assist their children with homework. (CK)