Grade 6 teachers (N = 106) in one school district were randomly assigned to early or late professional development (PD) groups. The program focused on reform communication and incorporated principles of effective PD recommended by researchers, although the duration of the treatment was modest (one full day and four after school sessions over a…

Misconceptions among students studying physics have been widely reported in the research literature. Many teachers are not acquainted with this literature. Moreover, many of them claim that only weak students have misconceptions. This paper reports on an online activity focusing on misconceptions of students regarding Newton's 3rd Law, that is…

In research across professions, the development of professional skill traditionally was seen as a process of accumulation of knowledge and skills, promoted by practical experience. More recently, this view has been modified to incorporate skillful know-how that is progressively acquired by passing through developmental stages, such as novice,…

Early childhood program directors must juggle many responsibilities while averting one crisis after another. Although directors have to be experts in multitasking, most often they assume their many responsibilities with little or no specialized training. This article describes how the authors created the Directors of the Midlands Development and…

This narrative is one teacher's attempt to represent a personal (political) and professional journey from becoming a student teacher to being a teacher, whilst always remaining a learner. The author offers her record of significant experiences, influences, debates and dilemmas, pausing to reflect on the principles which have informed her work with…

When the standards movement began more than 15 years ago, most educators welcomed the prospect of having clearly articulated student learning goals. The publication of the first set of standards by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in 1989 was greeted with unprecedented optimism. Standards offered educators a direction for reform…

Schools have differing levels of ability to develop leadership capacity. Yet even high leadership capacity schools may not always sustain improvements in student achievement. Several factors are key to realizing the promise of leadership. These factors challenge traditional concepts about leadership and the distribution of power, but when…

In Florida, a group of paraprofessionals worked with students struggling to read at grade level. The students' gains show that the intensive attention of these professionals to small groups of students can make a significant difference. This article presents a study about the effectiveness of paraprofessionals' and teachers' instruction for…

Developing education skills in future college faculty is challenging. At the postdoctoral level, Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) fellows effectively integrate research with mentored undergraduate teaching experiences and foster interinstitutional cooperation and participation of minorities and women in science. (Contains 3…

When Palmdale School District and Pivot Learning Partners entered into their first contract in 2006, neither organization foresaw the magnitude and complexity the relationship would take over time. Pivot Learning Partners (formerly known as Springboard Schools) is a non-profit service provider that first entered the Palmdale School District…

In this book, group work and college counseling leaders offer step-by-step instruction in the effective use and processing of structured group activities on topics such as test anxiety; stress and anxiety management; ADHD; career development; substance abuse; eating disorders; and the unique concerns faced by GLBT students, first-generation…

This study was conducted to analyse the faculty perceptions of the development workshops conducted at Sultan Qaboos University, the only public university in the Sultanate of Oman. Following a needs assessment, a proposed plan for professional development workshops was developed, with the resultant workshops being delivered in 2001. Findings show…

The Pilot schools Experiential Education Demonstration (PSEED) project was intended to deepen and embed high-quality experiential education within each participating school's academic programs. A continuation of a multiyear set of initiatives by the Barr Foundation, PSEED was an effort to unify the foundation's content area foci on arts,…

These proceedings record the 70th Annual Conference and Meeting of ACHE (Association for Continuing Higher Education) held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference theme, "The Next Generation: Access and Opportunity in CHE" challenged attendees to think about the coming new age and its…

Although literacy skills needed to engage in the economy and public life have grown, the literacy skills of many adolescents remain low. One popular approach to improving student literacy is using school-based reading coaches; however, there is little empirical evidence regarding the nature of coaching and its effectiveness in changing teacher…