This paper draws on research that has recently been conducted in Australia on the possibility of formulating professional standards for teachers of English in primary and secondary schools. English teachers around the country have played a vital role in the project, writing stories in an effort to capture "accomplished" English teaching,…

This article will draw on an investigation of teachers' research in a small-scale project involving 19 schools in the North West region of England. The teachers engaged in the research were funded by a government initiative, the Best Practice Research Scholarships Programme, and were mentored and tutored by university staff. The sample is very…

This article analyses the views of secondary school teachers involved in the Transforming the School Workforce: Pathfinder Project--a project designed to address issues of teacher workload and job satisfaction. The initiative was launched in 2002 by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to enable 32 pilot schools to explore ways in which…

The power of the Internet to reach individuals across great geographic distances and to provide flexible, timely access to research-validated materials is revolutionizing the design of professional development. Creating strategies for linking technology-based instruction with onsite, application-based learning has great potential for teaching…

This article first explores the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) identified in the research literature. Second, it examines the staff and student outcomes derived from the implementation and integration of a PLC in a K-12 school or a university. Third, it provides suggestions for school leaders about creating and…

Numerous scholars have promoted "practitioner research" or "teacher-research" as a way of facilitating professional development for pre-service and in-service teachers, promoting change and reform in K-12 settings, and giving voice to teachers" personal and professional knowledge. In this article, the authors consider what…

This study explores the use of video vignettes as a tool for the professional development of teachers. It is postulated that teachers' professional frames prime them to view vignettes through multiple "lenses," and that teachers may not recognize exemplary practice when presented with it. Think-aloud and interview data are collected as 11…

There is a strong international interest in the enhancement of teaching quality. Enhancement is a big job because teaching is an extensive activity. It is a complex job because learning to teach is not, mainly, a formal process: non-formal, practice-based learning is more significant. These two points, extensiveness and practice-based learning,…

Virginia Richardson, professor and former chair of Educational Studies at the University of Michigan, has recently been recognized for her contributions to teacher education with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). She has previously served as Vice President of Division K for the…

This paper provides a critical evaluation of the model of professional development elucidated within the Career Entry Development Profile and induction arrangements for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in England. In addition, it outlines the findings from a small-scale study of NQTs' professional development during their first year of teaching.…

This study investigated teachers' motivations to undertake professional development, in particular where postgraduate study is involved. Specifically, the study involved the development, design and implementation of a psychometric instrument to measure Christian teachers' professional development motivations. Influential factors identified in the…

The focus of this article is a participatory action research project funded for 2 years by the Esme Fairbairn Foundation on the Professional Development of Subject Induction Tutors working with newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in secondary schools in three local education authorities in the East Midlands. A crucial part of the Project was three…

This article begins by examining the rationale for the recent policy changes in the criteria for funding teachers' continuing professional development. It illustrates how in the pursuit of greater national competitiveness, the "evaluative" state has increased central control of the provision of in-service education of teachers through a…

This paper presents a case study which illustrates the author's experience as a sole proprietor taking on the collegial roles of both learning partner and coach, using an evaluation capacity-building strategy she called an evaluation learning circle (ELC). Facilitating the ELC was one of a variety of tasks she conducted as part of a multiyear…

A persistent and pressing problem in higher education is the "us versus them" mentality between faculty and administrators. Although the tension between faculty and administrators can have a healthy dimension (promoting the advice and consent of shared governance), by and large the tension is unproductive because it is based on misunderstandings…