Under the leadership of State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum, with the support of the South Carolina Department of Education's Division of Teaching Quality (DTQ) and the South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA), South Carolina became only the second state in the nation to study teacher…

Respect and communication. That's what teachers and paraprofessionals say makes an effective classroom team. In speaking with paraprofessionals and teachers, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has gathered several tips about how to make working together work. These tips include: (1) Creating a healthy, open relationship between teacher and…

Just as middle schoolers are "wired" to learn in active, hands-on ways, this book is wired to help teachers spark a vital connection to these students to keep them tuned-in to science. "Doing Good Science in Middle School" combines practical insights about adolescent learners with what master teachers know about how to shift from passive,…

Increasingly, third parties are working with schools and providing a coach (a skilled educator external to a school) who helps to facilitate reform. This paper explores some of the complexities of coaching by presenting a case study of a coach in her first year of facilitating math and science reform in a pseudonymous middle school in a Boston…

This study focuses on elementary schools, where it is critical that students develop foundational knowledge and skills in preparation for later advanced coursework. For the study, McREL selected a sample of high-needs elementary (PreK/K?6) schools, defined as moderate- to high-poverty, with 50 percent or more of students eligible for free or…

This evaluation report summarizes Year 4 of the Math and Science Academy (MSA), an initiative of the Northern New Mexico Council on Excellence in Education (NNMCEE). The report begins with an overview of the project and its objectives, and then outlines the research questions and methods used to carry out the evaluation. Findings from the Year 4…

With updated language and references to the 2005 revision of the Code of Ethical Conduct, this book, like the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, seeks to inform, not prescribe, answers to tough questions that teachers face as they work with children, families, and colleagues. To help everyone become well acquainted with the Code and use it in one's…

The final report of this federally supported 3-year direct research project describes products developed in the project's investigation of inclusive education of students with severe disabilities and models of collaboration in inclusive urban schools. Year 1 resulted in research on inclusive education in the context of school reform. During Year 2…

This book explores the relationship between effective teaching, behavior management, discipline, and colleague support. After an introduction, "I Never Thought I'd Become a Teacher," eight chapters include: (1) "The Dynamics of Classroom Behavior" (how student and teacher behavior affect each other, and control for the purpose…

This paper describes the development of an early childhood education Professional Development School (PDS) partnership between an all kindergarten elementary school and a comprehensive state university. The partnership emphasized collaboration. The PDS coordinator began the process of collaboration by meeting with the school principal. The…

It is fashionable to say that teaching can be the most rewarding profession there is- and it can be. Most teachers can all give examples of the pleasure of helping a child grow in knowledge and understanding, and achieve their potential. But what about the teacher? They shouldn't be excluded from the benefits of lifelong learning because of their…

In this paper, we examine how journal and ethnography field notes in Jugyou Kenkyu (lesson study) help teachers to understand the diverse range of talents and abilities of their students. Especially, we focus on how ethnography field note and reflective papers (karate) help teachers to change their assumptions about student learning. The data…

I clarify in this chapter what Iran can learn from Japan's experience of jugyou kenkyuu(lesson study) model, and what we can apply to the Iranian educational context. The chapter also discusses the process, progress and challenges of incorporating jugyou kenkyuu into Iranian teacher training. I examine how Iranian teachers and school…

This book offers an overview of leadership as a dynamic process available to all teachers, reviewing research-based theories applicable to teacher leadership and presenting strategies for the development of teacher leadership skills. It reflects the philosophy that leadership is best developed through the combination of theory and experience that…

This paper examines some of the social aspects of teaching about teaching that are important in shaping the nature of communication among teacher educators and their student teachers when sharing in the process of learning about teaching. The focus of this study is a third year, double degree subject, "Developing Pedagogy," that is team…