A microcomputer laboratory for research, training, and service and a competency-based multilevel computer literacy training program for preservice special education teacher education students are described. Considerations in program development and implementation are noted. (CL)

Evaluation of the school-based, collaborative inservice program implemented by 10 elementary schools in Jefferson County, Kentucky, indicates that ideal conditions are not essential to school improvement. Based on the effective schools research model, the project also provided evidence that local schools will adopt successful programs after pilot…

Enumerates ways institutions can benefit from faculty involvement in community development. Sees community involvement as one way to meet faculty members' need for job enrichment. Identifies possible community development activities, requisite skills, and ways instructors can develop these skills. (DMM)

This study examined findings from a larger study that investigated how a cohort of 14 new teachers learned and developed over the first 2 years of teaching. Data collection involved interviews, questionnaires, and reports. Findings suggested an idiosyncratic, practical, and context-specific conception of learning. Respondents undervalued the…

This paper defines the nature of purposeful science teaching, describing how two Virginia professional development programs for teachers utilized science faculty for instruction in inquiry-based science. Both projects involved summer institutes for teachers that modeled inquiry-based science teaching so that teachers could seriously implement the…

This paper tries to present a careful analysis of current trends and challenges to importing Japanese model of teachers' professional development. The objective is to examine what "we" can learn from Japanese approach to improving instruction, especially "Jugyou Kenkyu" (Lesson Study) as a collaborative research on the…

This report presents an expanded vision for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) as a professional union that advocates for its members and that, through collaborative labor management relations, assumes joint custody for ensuring the quality of institutions in which members work and services they provide. The report calls on the AFT to…

This publication tells the stories of eight schools from around the nation that have used the Open Court Reading program, describing the history of the schools, the challenges they faced, and their attempts to meet those challenges. The schools are located in California, Florida, Texas, and New York. Each of the school stories includes a focus on…

This paper addresses the issue of faculty participation in development programs. Participation in faculty development programs has not been part of the culture in engineering education and with the focus on reform, ways are being sought to involve faculty in retraining. At North Carolina State University (NCSU), representatives from the…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an implementation plan that would support middle school science teachers as they integrated a specific technological tool, Calculator-Based Laboratory (CBL) probeware. The final goal of the implementation process was pedagogical and curricula transformation by the participants. The…

This publication contains two essays discussing the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) and a criticism of merit pay for teachers. Today's schools are larger, often overcrowded, and frequently staffed by temporary or inexperienced teachers. TAP was created in response to the need for teacher-quality reform. It addresses challenges of teacher quality…

Sustained, innovative professional development is now widely acknowledged as essential to the improvement of mathematics instruction in the nation's schools. In recent years, this recognition has prompted the production of a variety of materials designed to support new teacher development programs. But with the availability of such materials,…

An effective teacher must continue to learn, problem-solve, and respond to the evolving needs of his or her students. Ideally a culture of inquiry, reflection, and self-evaluation should develop. Voluntary inquiry-based reflection identifies problems and issues within a school and allows teachers and administrators to develop professional study…

This toolkit provides secondary school teachers with resources to conduct staff or student development on racism. It encourages teachers and students to question their own and others' views about racism, suggests practical and positive ways of tackling racism as a whole-school issue, and provides a set of desired outcomes against which schools can…

This essay focuses on the preparation of high school mathematics teachers. Sections discuss what needs to be changed in the current system, what can be done to effect this change, and exemplary practices. The article suggests the following: (1) make connections to school mathematics; (2) look at different models of classroom organization; (3) put…