Discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of distance education and online instruction in higher education focuses on quality control. Topics include quality of product, of learning, and of technology; student prerequisites; instructional design; faculty support systems; and program design, including professional development versus academic degree…

Explains San Diego County Office of Education's "Reading in Secondary Education" (RISE), an online series of nine professional development modules for secondary teachers and administrators, intended for use in staff development groups or by individual educators. Notes that the program combines video, Web information, lesson plans, and Internet…

Considers the role of technology in education. Topics include models of computing; goals of education; opportunities that technology provide, including virtual communities, curriculum development, and a leverage for change; and challenges, including limited resources for professional development, lack of effective instructional design, and…

Positions the science program in such a way that it becomes vulnerable to positive and effective changes thereby allowing needed reform to occur. Suggests a lack of effective inservice and preservice preparation of science teachers and proposes the science supervisor as being instrumental in bringing about change in the science program at the…

Describes a six-year series of science leadership institutes in Northeast Tennessee designed to prepare K-12 teachers and principals for leadership roles in the improvement of school science. Discusses training participants' work with peers, the principal's role, and the ripple effect. (KHR)

Considers alternative assessment techniques as vehicles for improving student learning. Describes a deductive model for teachers to write open-ended questions that are directly linked to their daily science teaching. (KHR)

Following almost two years' field practice, substantial study and discussion a cohort of Educational Psychologists in Training (EPITs) (N=11) shared their perspectives about the current challenges for EPs. Data analysis suggested that the challenge for EPs and their services was to adopt an "ecological" or "systemic"…

Examines English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) teacher training and teacher development in Vietnam. Suggests ways to promote professional development among EFL teachers in Vietnam, which may be applicable to similar situations in other countries. (Author/VWL)

Describes Preuss School, University of California San Diego, a grade-6-to-12 charter school for low-income students, the major goal of which is to prepare students to attend the university. Concentrates on four areas to address student motivation and engagement: teaching for understanding, professional development, personalization, and school…

Outlines a vision for a new kind of master's degree tailored to the needs and talents of high school chemistry teachers that provides for integration of both pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge (chemistry). The program provides for continual professional development by using action research in the high school classroom. Presents an…

Describes a study designed to investigate what history student teachers in England and Wales read during their year of post-graduate professional education (PGPE). Suggests that while many students have a positive view of the value of research findings for their professional development, their reading is very limited. (DAJ)

Discusses the online activities used in the Teacher Institute for Curriculum Knowledge about the Integration of Technology (TICKIT), a school-based professional development program involving K-12 teachers from rural Indiana schools that was developed by Indiana University. Describes the use of Web-based asynchronous conferencing to post technology…

Describes integrated science and mathematics professional development programs for grades 4-10 science and mathematics teachers designed and implemented at Wright State University over the past five years. Presents evidence of enhanced participant content understanding and pedagogical preparation and discusses specific examples of modified teacher…

Discusses the priorities that second-year education students hold for primary mathematics content and student learning. Reflects upon the mathematics subjects within the context of current research and mathematics curriculum policy and inferences about education students' beliefs. (Author/KHR)

Examines the importance of the induction phase for graduates of Transforming School Counseling Initiative programs, offering a rationale for strengthening the involvement of counselor educators in this process, reviewing relevant literature, and discussing: current practices in practicum and internship, mentoring and supervision, the need to…