The "all children can learn" call to action made no exceptions when it appeared on the educational landscape, and educators began to shift their thinking to ensure that students with disabilities were challenged in academic achievement. Two federal mandates, not only No Child Left Behind (NCLB 2001) but also the Individuals with…

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the ACTFL suggest that a high proficiency in the Spanish language is essential for all Spanish teachers. With the growth of the Spanish-speaking population in the United States and the diversity of Hispanic culture, teacher education programs need to ensure that teacher candidates are…

It all began with casual conversation between a university supervisor and classroom teachers and approval to use an unused classroom at a local elementary school. The space became the hub of an exciting professional development (PD) opportunity for classroom teachers. This article describes how hosting an on-site university science methods course…

Practitioners are often faced with the national legislation's influence at the school-based curricular level. In the United States, the federal government No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates reading instruction at the early primary grade levels. The position of "literacy coach" was created to support this curriculum change by…

The issue of professional development is receiving increased attention, as educators and policy makers are realizing the centrality of teachers to school reform and improvement. This paper describes research on book clubs as a mechanism for professional development and discusses how different study group configurations (i.e., preservice teacher…

In a culture of comprehensive school reform, which focuses primarily on improving student achievement, teachers must critically analyze educational research and student data to make professional judgments regarding student achievement. Establishing professional learning communities is one form of professional development (PD) that is proven to…

This article explores the process of using lessons learned about high quality, effective arts education programs to help local educational leaders and practitioners create their own policy statements. It raises questions about policy implications from those lessons and connects them to the readers' own experience. It provides an intellectual…

This article explores critical issues linked to early child development (ECD) professionalism in African childhood contexts in the light of rights-based consideration. Against the backdrop of acculturation being a reality in Africa, it accepts professionalism as a "good thing" for ECD programmes in Africa. The article sketches a portrait…

Over the past decade, professionalism has become a keyword in early childhood education in New Zealand. The emphasis on "professionalism" in education often refers to increased accountability and outcome-focused approaches to teaching. The push to managerial performativity as a new hallmark of professionalism has led to arguments that…

A core question of teacher education--"What can I do?"--plagues courses on race in particular ways. Teachers struggle for "concrete" applications of "theoretical" ideas about race, question the potential for "everyday" activity to dismantle inequality "structures," and wrestle with the need for both professional and personal development on racial…

Poor matriculation results in South African urban schools have resulted in the implementation of professional development programs for principals who wish to improve their qualifications and practice. This article studies principals' perceptions of the efficacy of using portfolios to assess their professional growth. Using a poststructural lens to…

The purpose of the present article is to examine the knowledge-practice based approach to technology-enhanced learning. Toward that end, the article reports the efforts of an elementary-school teacher and researchers in promoting genuine inquiry at the 4th and 5th grade of a Finnish elementary school. We will describe implementation and social…

Although the authority for hiring a community college president resides with the board of trustees, few studies have directly explored trustees' perceptions of the desired qualifications for presidents. Using a Delphi process, this study identified the characteristics, competencies, and professional experiences that Illinois community college…

This article examines a model of professional development called "video clubs" in which teachers watch and discuss excerpts of videos from their classrooms. We investigate how participation in a video club influences teachers' thinking and practice by exploring three related contexts: (a) teachers' comments during video-club meetings, (b)…

This paper explores the role of engaging teachers in constructive dialogue within ICT professional development activity. As part of an ICT professional development program, sixteen teachers across eight geographically removed schools participated in an online threaded discussion forum for a school year. Data reported in this paper are generated…