Whilst an academic working in the arts may have been appointed as a consequence of artistic accomplishment and a capacity to teach, the research that underpins such work is an intrinsic part of its production and also needs to be recognised. In Australia, the ability of the artist-academic to translate research into a form that is respected and…

This study examines how to fill the growing need for community college leaders by creating "grow-your-own" (GYO) leadership programs through a national interview study and a case study involving action research. The findings demonstrate design flaws that are typical in the development of GYO programs. Strategies for overcoming these flaws are…

A critical issue facing the nation today stems from the fact that many classroom teachers in Early Childhood Education lack adequate training. This deficit in the professional education of teachers impacts outcomes for children every day. This article discusses the establishment of a training system that has impacted Early Childhood education in…

For professional development to be effective as an accountability policy mechanism, it must address challenges posed by accountability while also building teachers' capacity to change. This article details the role of professional development in the accountability system and provides a review of literature on effective professional development,…

In the context of developing mentor teachers' use of supervisory skills, two consecutive studies were conducted, using stimulated recall. Firstly, with eight participants, an instrument was developed to categorize contents of interactive cognitions. Secondly, with 30 participants, the instrument was applied to uncover contents of mentor teachers'…

As principals come under more pressure than ever to improve underperforming schools, leadership experts say it's time for the nation to emphasize recruiting and training the next generation of school leaders. The American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), and the National…

"The Learning System" is an eight-page newsletter published eight times a year. Designed for superintendents and central office staff with professional learning responsibilities. This issue includes: (1) Superintendent Stays on Course with Personal Learning Plan (Valerie von Frank); (2) District Leadership: Permit, Don't Proscribe, to…

In 2007, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) initiated an annual survey of school library media programs. The development of this longitudinal survey project was mandated by the AASL Board as part of the association's strategic plan with the goal to provide research and statistics to be used at the national, state and local levels…

The Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) program released Requests for Proposals in March for the next round of teacher professional development projects. The first RFP, Addressing the Achievement Gap in Middle Schools (AAGMIS), is for stand-alone grants similar to the 2008 projects that target the achievement gap in elementary schools. The second RFP,…

"NSDC Policy Points" is a newsletter published by the National Staff Development Council (NSDC). This issue of "NSDC Policy Points" discusses why collaborative learning is critical to professional development. Included in this newsletter is an article about team learning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. [For Volume 1, Number 3 of…

Project Achieve is a professional development (PD) project that utilizes teacher leaders (TLs), former teachers who have been reassigned to provide school-based mentoring, instruction, lesson plan assistance and modelling of lessons for urban middle school teachers. A primary goal of Project Achieve is to evaluate the extent to which TLs were able…

The field of early care and education continues to change, and strong leadership is needed to ensure that it is moving in the right direction to benefit young children and their families. Early childhood programs face pressure at national, state, and local levels to meet performance standards, increase accountability, ensure efficiency, and offer…

The authors make the case that literacy leadership is not a quality restricted to specialists with extra certifications. Instead, literacy leadership qualities are within the grasp of every conscientious classroom teacher who is willing to take advantage of opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Over the last ten years, the emergence of 1:1 programs has grown increasingly in popularity. More and more schools are implementing 1:1 programs as a means for increasing student achievement and performance. In fact, few modern educational initiatives have been as widespread and costly as the integration of laptop initiatives into education. As a…

An approach is presented that introduces the concept of countertransference to predoctoral interns and externs in a unique way during their professional training. This approach goes beyond a didactic presentation of the concept and even beyond discussion of case material in supervision. Through an experiential role-play process called Mimesis,…