This paper describes two cases that illustrate the role of collaborative reflection in developing a culture of inquiry and individual and organizational renewal in school-university partnerships. Three assertions underlie the study: that individual renewal leads to organizational renewal; that developing a culture of inquiry is a prerequisite to…

This paper reports on a four-year study that evaluated school library services offered to students with disabilities in two Australian states. Findings regarding staff development activities for school library staff that would assist them in teaching, communicating, and providing for the information needs of students with disabilities are…

This proceedings document presents eight papers given at a 1997 conference on nursing education at the master's degree level. The papers are: (1) "Reality of the Marketplace for Advanced Practice Nursing" (Mary Elizabeth Mancini); (2) "Providing Faculty with the Skills to Teach in a Changing World" (Diane Skiba); (3) "Charting New Territory:…

This ethnographic case study of six teachers in a metropolitan public elementary school investigated the structure and process of staff development for inservice teachers who were incorporating cooperative learning into their classroom practices. The researcher collected data from planning meetings, site visits with observations, questionnaires,…

Arguing that transformative teacher professional development may require more than a shift in the content of teachers' thinking, this paper examines how the structure of teachers' meaning-making systems might affect their experiences in three mathematics teacher professional development programs. The paper describes the change goals of three…

This paper examines the experiences of seven new faculty at a charter school of education at California State University Los Angeles. The seven new professors in the study were asked to engage in ethnographic interviews that described and categorized their experiences, and contrasted them with other events. Interview questions focused on:…

The professional development of teachers is a crucial element of the nation's efforts to improve education. In recent years, these efforts have sought to foster high standards for teaching and learning for all of the nation's children, and almost all states have met federal requirements for developing challenging statewide content standards.…

During 1997-98, a research team from the University of Leeds investigated the effectiveness of teacher resource centers (TRCs) as a strategy for teacher development in developing nations. The study included a literature review and fieldwork in four countries (India, Kenya, Nepal, and Zambia). The study examined the extent to which TRCs helped…

This report presents information from a study of teachers of the year regarding their personal experiences with teacher leadership. It highlights: reasons to promote leadership (e.g., teachers have the most expertise and knowledge of how to improve education for students and can form a critical mass with their peers for positive or negative change…

The work of mentoring educational professionals includes establishing strong models to help educators and potential education leaders define operating principles that guide their professional work. The University of Central Florida partners with several public schools in developing models of mentoring. Teaching faculty at the college work directly…

This study examined professional development offered in South Carolina, how it was offered, support given to implement skills acquired from professional development, and how professional development enhanced academic goals outlined in district and school strategic plans. The paper describes characteristics of high quality professional development…

This book approaches the subject of leadership among science and mathematics teachers during times of educational reform from the perspective of local decision making, personal action, and respect of peers. The view of leadership presented in this book elevates the profession rather than the status of individuals, and the view is supported by…

This paper presents a model for professional development that is site-based and utilizes a Teacher-Mentor approach for technology training. To guide the development of such models for schools, the paper discusses the following principles: (1) the Teachers Computer Ability Profile (TCAP), a straightforward instrument teachers can use to self-assess…

In order to encourage foreign-language faculty to increase their use of technology in the classroom, the University of South Carolina has created a new role for the Academic Director of its Foreign Language Learning Center. The director oversees a Faculty Development Center for faculty interested in incorporating technology into their curricula.…

This paper describes Virginia Polytechnic and State University's efforts to effectively adopt emerging technologies on a general basis. The various systems that come into play in this context are discussed, including the macro-system (the university itself) and sub-systems (departments and programs). Introduction of a compensating sub-system,…