This qualitative interpretivist study analyzes the interrelationships between, the knowledge gained in teacher professional development programs and the context of employment. Findings indicate that teachers construct a knowledge base by moving back and forth between continuing education programs and their professional practice. This process of…

This report describes the Beginning Teacher Induction Program (BTIP) in 12 New Brunswick anglophone school districts during 1996-1997. Data come from beginning teachers, mentors, principals and district coordinators who participated in the BTIP and completed a survey. Half of the mentors attended a mentor training workshop, an increase from the…

This book is written for practicing and prospective instructional leaders who want to develop reflective, collaborative, problem-solving contexts for dialogue about instruction. Some school leaders, though, have discovered ways to effectively integrate such leadership into their schools, and these methods are presented. This book draws on…

This paper describes a collaborative model for assessing and developing leadership skills in school administrators. Representatives of East Carolina University's (ECU-North Carolina) School of Education and local school districts collaborated to identify future leaders, assess their leadership skills, and provide continual development. The pilot…

This book presents a set of stories that focus on what teachers learn from talking to one another about their practice, presenting a case for how the ordinary talk among teachers is a potent medium for teacher learning and professional development. Drawing from the work of eight groups of teachers in the United States and Israel who met in…

This paper shares ideas from a research project involving more than 75 teachers in five states. The teachers participated in groups of 12-18. They received support as part of the research project. The groups met with a facilitator every 2-3 weeks to have conversations about teaching and learning. They learned from and with each other as they…

In March of 1999, the Professional Development Laboratory (PDL) of the New York University School of Education conducted an Evaluation Forum to address the issue of evaluating professional development. The Forum engaged PDL stakeholders, educational leaders, and community supporters in generating and responding to critical questions related to…

This paper examines how the teaching-learning process can be transformed to accurately define good schools where students achieve (and improve) academically, presenting transformation ideas that are encapsulated in a hypothetical ideal school. To transform the teaching-learning process, students must be self-motivated, teachers must be dedicated…

This literature review provides a policy-oriented overview of the major work on schools as learning organizations. It is representative of the literature through 1999. The first section, "Learning Organizations in Non-School Settings," discusses what organizational literature has to offer the discussion of learning communities or…

This study investigates the impact of a mentoring initiative on the performance of ten adjunct instructors new to the faculty of Indian River Community College in east-central Florida. Participants represent a wide range of discipline areas, motivations and demographic characteristics. The mentoring program focused on general pedagogical skills…

This paper examines systematic studies of teacher research as professional development activity, identifying specific aspects of this experience that relate to positive teacher and student learning. Section 1 discusses variations in teacher research related to motivation, structural conditions and context, study format and content, incorporation…

The Constitution of the Minnesota Community College Faculty Association (MCCFA) was approved on May 1, 1999. Included is a description of MCCFA's purpose, conditions for membership, organizational structure, and selection processes for officers and members of the Board of Directors. Affiliated with the National Education Association, Education…

This paper discusses how experienced teachers can keep their teaching fresh. Though professional development can help teachers stay current with educational techniques and practices, it is often not prioritized. Instructional changes that can recharge teachers so they provide students with optimal learning include: providing regular teacher…

This article addresses what was learned through the National Computational Science Leadership Program about involving teachers in planning high quality units of instruction around computational science investigations. Two cohorts of roughly 25 teacher teams nationwide were given opportunities to develop "replacement units." The goal was to support…

The purpose of this narrative case study was to examine the perceptions of one first-year instrumental music teacher (Tavia) regarding mentoring, induction, and the first year of teaching. This report represents a collaboration between teacher and researcher (Colleen) in an effort to understand mentoring, induction, and teaching in the first year…