In this article we examine a teacher-authored narrative in which Steve Mann (2002), an English as a second language teacher, critically reflects on how his teaching beliefs were transformed as a result of participating in "cooperative development" (Edge, 1992, 2002). Cooperative development is an inquiry-based approach to professional development…

With policymakers across the country proposing questionable ways to evaluate teachers, it's time to listen to those who know what supports and systems are needed to enhance instruction: teachers. This article explores the work of professional educators--not just their accomplishments, but also their challenges--so that the lessons they have…

This paper reports on aspects of an Australian study into the factors and conditions that make it possible for secondary school health education teachers to include and affirm gender and sexual diversity in their teaching. The study examined the impact of a two-day intervention designed to prepare teachers to use a major new government-funded…

This study examines the processes by which early childhood educators and their mentors negotiated the social and emotional aspects of their working relationships. Twenty-five mentors worked with over 200 infant/toddler caregivers and preschool educators as part of a community-wide professional development initiative. Qualitative data were obtained…

Value-added data provide a viable alternative for gauging school effectiveness--one virtually free of the confounding effects of student demographics and other factors relating to student learning. How is it different from other measuring methods? It concentrates on growth, rather than attainment. This strengthens the concept and measurement of…

Much of what has been written about the Professional Development School (PDS) experience consists of recounting personal experiences. However, these accounts often offer little to readers since they are neither good research nor good storytelling. In this article I draw on mythology, folklore, psychology and literature to suggest that effective…

Christine Garbe, a professor at the Institute for German Language and Literature Education at Leuphana University in Lueneburg, Germany, initially focused her research on youth's socialization as readers. Her professional textbooks in this area are innovative. International comparisons of youth's reading achievement drew her attention to…

This article presents a reflection on an action research project carried out by a group of teachers and students at Universidad de Antioquia. The action research project aimed at determining the impact of a professional development proposal for elementary school English teachers in Medellin, Colombia. In the first section, the article describes…

This article reports on the implementation of a professional development program in emerging technologies for librarians at the University of Western Australia. Set up in 2008 to address a lack of pedagogically grounded training in this area, it has now graduated three cohorts. A qualitative analysis of participants' online contributions and…

To create professionals for the future, who will be innovative and internationally competitive, we need to change the learning environment. The current traditional delivery systems of education do not develop the necessary interpersonal, analytical and creative skills to deal with the new knowledge economy. Baer (2005), in calling for a new model…

Employers continue to report that soft skills are critically important in obtaining employment and achieving long-term career success. Given the challenging job market for college graduates, business school faculty need to provide practical opportunities for students to develop their soft skills in professional settings. A longitudinal study was…

"Research in the Teaching of English" (RTE) is the flagship research journal of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in the United States. It is a broad-based, multidisciplinary journal composed of original research articles and short scholarly essays on a wide range of topics significant to those concerned with the…

The issue of teacher effectiveness has risen rapidly to the top of the education policy agenda, and the federal government and states are considering bold steps to improve teacher and leader effectiveness. One place to look for ideas is the experiences of high-performing education systems around the world. Finland, Ontario, and Singapore all have…

Effective professional development training is essential to ensuring full technology integration in all classrooms by all teachers on a regular basis. Technology integration can greatly enhance the learning of all students. In particular students with disabilities and special needs benefit a great deal from the use of technology during…

Following the passage of "No Child Left Behind" ("NCLB") in 2001 and the reauthorization of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA") in 2004, states adopted new policies regarding the education of students with significant intellectual disabilities. In the state of Delaware, these policy…