This study examined five of 12 physical education teachers participating in the Assessment Initiative for Middle School Physical Education (AIMS-PE), a reform-based teacher development project designed to help teachers examine and reframe their assessment practices and to design and implement curricular programs that encourage active teaching and…

The trend toward implementing models for Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for academic support in higher education is gaining momentum. Whether due to external influences, such as the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, which promotes inquiry about teaching and learning, or more related to internal forces such as…

Many classroom teachers across the United States feel unprepared to work with students and families who speak limited or no English. Knowing that schools are accountable for the achievement results of these students, teachers increasingly seek help. This article describes a professional development project designed to introduce K-12 teachers to…

Data gathered from 25 rural public school districts in Texas during 2002-2003 were used to assess the impact of educator professional development and technology-intensive classroom learning activities on first- and second-grade students' reading achievement. Students from 18 school districts received the treatment while students from 7 randomly…

Many schooling systems do not fulfil their mandates because of poor management and leadership. Similarly, the rigidity that one finds in schools does not only stunt schools' capacity to develop, but also leads to schools that are dysfunctional and unproductive. As a result, in countries where there is universal transformation, efficacious…

Democratic professional development is of the teachers, by the teachers, for the teachers. It differs from managerial models, which often have preset agendas and provide what "experts" think teachers need. Managerial models tend to be leader-centered, making some teachers feel treated like "tall children" rather than…

The purpose of the study was two fold, first the need to determine the extent to which college students indicated that at least one significant faculty relationship had made a difference in their ability to persist in school and second, the need to examine some of the characteristics of those relationships to determine if they were caring…

This study describes a novel interactive platform for faculty development, particularly focusing on transmitting some subtle teaching experiences, e.g., interaction with students inside and outside of class, face to face and via the Internet. This work examined two outstanding instructional faculties at the National Central University, including…

Local Systemic Change projects, funded by the National Science Foundation, were designed to help teachers of mathematics and science deepen their content knowledge and improve their instructional practices. Ms. Weiss and Ms. Pasley describe how these aims were accomplished through a combination of intensive professional development and follow-up…

Discussion of communities of practice in workplace learning is widespread. Here the authors seek to consider how we can make use of communities of practice theory in practical teaching in a formal undergraduate educational context. The concept of what the authors call the double shift is discussed; a shift from the workplace as community of…

This paper reviews the range of institutional strategies which it might be appropriate and desirable to have in place to support and enhance the effective mentoring of trainee teachers in UK colleges of further education. The high degree of importance being attached to mentoring by various government bodies, with reference to initial teacher…

This study investigated teachers' knowledge of, and capacity to identify resilience, in 92 primary school children in Far North Queensland. It was found that although teachers' knowledge of resilience was apparently strong, and they reported a significant level of confidence in their ability to assist children in building resilience, their…

Hiring new teachers and continuing their professional growth so that they remain in the profession and become effective teachers have been a challenge for decades. Research suggests that induction programs can achieve these outcomes if they are highly structured, include mentoring, focus on professional learning, and emphasize collaboration that…

The 21st century has ushered in a set of challenges for education administrators. A greater emphasis on accountability for an increasing number of students requiring intensive supports is commonplace. Currently, the student population is changing, reflecting society's ever-increasing diversity. Many administrators need assistance responding to…

There is a high incidence of today's gifted students independently interacting with their global community through technology tools. Teachers of the gifted (GT teachers) must possess an understanding of technology processes and concepts in order to engage their students through instructionally meaningful and appropriate lessons. Although many…