Once a motley mix of afterschool, before-school, summer, and weekend programs, the out-of-school-time (OST) field is fast consolidating. As in other emerging fields, efforts to professionalize are gaining momentum; the field now boasts several professional certificates as well as degree programs. Strong emphasis has been placed on in-service…

The dramatic change over the past 20 years of the demographics, education and career trajectory of superintendents has significant implications for the nation's schools. Since 1923, the State of the American School Superintendency has documented the evolution of superintendents' careers and school district leadership more broadly. The most recent…

Ensuring quality teaching in every classroom across an entire system of schools--that's what a district leader's job is all about. A district leader's challenges are unique so "The Learning System" was created with that in mind. This issue contains: (1) What Works Around the World: Landmark Study Examines Professional Learning Abroad to Pinpoint…

In this article, we present a balanced view of the prescriptive authority debate in relation to five major issues and within the context of the practice of psychology in the schools: (a) appropriate training, (b) quality of care, (c) access to services, (d) continuity of care, and (e) professional identity. We also provide an analysis of the…

The present study examines an innovative attempt to address national priorities with regard to subject (mathematics and science) and the needs of gifted and talented pupils. The initiative, PGCE Plus, was at the transition from initial qualifications and the domain of continuing professional development, occurring in the summer immediately…

The observation of teaching remains an integral process for the enhancement of practice as part of academic continuing professional development in higher education in the UK. This paper argues that failure to recognise the potential for peer-orientated development to reinforce restrictive norms of practice will be detrimental to the project of…

Learning organizations rely on collaborative information and understanding to support and sustain professional growth and development. A collaborative self-assessment instrument can provide clear articulation and characterization of the level of adoption of innovation such as the use of instructional technologies. Adapted from the "Level of…

This research documents the ways in which a self-generated, self-directed, self-study group of teachers can serve as an effective model of professional development. Data suggest that the Alumnae Group began with a shared desire to communicate. Over time, members developed a shared language that was concrete, precise and coherent. This shared…

In this commentary on the paper by the Bank Street Reading and Literacy Alumnae Group, Korthagen states that, while it provides an excellent example of how fruitful professional development can be when it is grounded in the needs and strengths of the people involved; regretfully, many traditional approaches to professional development are based on…

Because implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) in the framework of special education's identification process still is relatively new, many districts are only now determining the implications at the school or system level. The concept of also identifying students who show promise in a nurturing framework, as opposed to a preventative…

To date there has not been a systematic, longitudinal research to assess the efficacy of public investments in the professional development of early childhood educators that are funded through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood[R] Project. This study of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood[R] Project Pennsylvania provides a longitudinal analysis of the data…

Library professionals have always engaged with associations and communities to share experiences and information. Going back through the earliest times of the profession, librarians have interacted through conference meetings, professional publications, and a variety of other venues. These in-person and print-based interactions continue as…

This article reports on differences between expert and aspiring principals. Following the work of Leithwood and colleagues, we asked expert and aspiring principals to respond to ill-structured written problem scenarios. Our sample of 44 included 20 expert principals and 24 aspiring principals. The aspiring principals were from a cohort of…

This article, written as a reflexive story, describes my journey as a practitioner researcher investigating the implementation of a study-group format in place of a formal meeting arrangement for the teaching team I lead. The inquiry has been initiated to explore the intervention as a way to promote teacher morale. The research site is a large…

As K-12 schools acquire equipment for videoconferencing, they often experience limited usage of the equipment. The purpose of this study was to identify specific concerns of educators currently involved in videoconferencing. The primary data for the study was 400 discussion posts from 34 educators in an online class about videoconferencing. Data…