Three veteran principals completed interviews about their leadership style, role in professional development schools (PDSs), vision for innovation within PDSs, and views on the impact of successful PDSs. Results highlighted six common core characteristics of effective PDS principals, including: a philosophy that includes…

Describes a project in which a small group of teachers of gifted students in primary and secondary schools in England used action research as an holistic way of undertaking professional development, which encouraged them to question their values, beliefs, and assumptions about teaching and learning. (CR)

Discusses recent thinking about broad technological change and examines disturbing implications in the context of students at risk of school failure and school reform. Makes recommendations on teacher training and technology use. (Author)

Relates a personal history of events leading to the establishment of the College and University Faculty Assembly and its journal "Theory and Research in Social Education." Details the tensions and obstacles encountered in the creation of a college-level faculty group and a professional journal. (DSK)

Discusses 25 years of attempts to define social studies and to research social studies education. Argues that a definition that denies teachers' diverse experiences and instructional methods is dysfunctional and that research has advanced little. Calls for a reexamination of the research enterprise itself and of graduate training in education.…

Reports on the use of GLOBE, a teaching tool that enables students to use hands-on, inquiry-based methods to gather and interpret scientific data. Summarizes the results of teacher workshops. (DDR)

Explores the interconnection between academic historians and the schools. Discusses the efforts of the Teaching Division of the American Historical Association, the barriers between academics and working teachers, and two recommendations to achieve progress in this area (collaborative professional development and addressing educational issues of…

Results from the Leading for Diversity study suggest that human relations and academic achievement go together. Professional development for school leaders provides them with the knowledge, experience, and skills to address cultural conflict and promote interethnic relations. The paper presents lessons learned which can help create positive…

Principals of all 14,107 middle-level schools in the U.S. were invited to participate in the year 2000 online survey. More than 1,400 responded. Responses are compared with previous studies conducted in 1965; 1980, and 1992. Discusses the implications and recommendations for recruiting, initial training, and continuing professional development of…

Examines the current diversity of early years qualifications in Scotland and looks critically at the factors that are now enabling a more coherent framework of qualifications to emerge. Highlights the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Concludes by offering a number of recommendations to those involved in similar work in other…

A study examined attitudes of 50 new teachers toward emerging Scottish policies concerning continuing professional development (CPD). Findings indicate that teachers need to be better informed about CPD and other policy initiatives; characteristics of an effective professional educator must be identified; teachers must critically analyze their…

Discusses ways research universities can involve more tenured faculty members in supervising student teachers in schools. Describes problems with traditional model of supervision. Discusses a new inquiry-based supervision model developed at the University of Maine using faculty members as mentors, student curriculum inquiry projects…

This paper reports on the individual student projects of 37 classroom teachers enrolled in a graduate class on multicultural arts education. Identifies points of initial resistance and relates these to patterns of change. Proposes a seven-step model with which teachers can self-educate for multicultural pedagogy. (DB)

Underscores the need for mentoring in the challenging, early years of teaching. Addresses one aspect of mentoring: how informal (or "secondary") mentoring can enhance the formal processes that may be in place in many parts of the country. Describes various informal mentoring processes, including classroom observations and informal conversations,…

Describes the Alliance for Better Schools, a partnership established in 1987 between Trinity University and Mark Twain Middle School in San Antonio, Texas. Discusses the partnership's goals, including providing in-depth, multicultural experience for preservice teachers in a school committed to middle level philosophy and recognized as a leader in…