Intrator and Kunzman argue that professional development for teachers follows an orientation similar to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs--and that this orientation needs to be reversed. Maslow posited that people must fulfill subsistence needs such as needs for food and safety before they can pursue higher needs like the need for…

In a field of revolving-door leaders, Thomas W. Payzant is the exception to the rule. Amid the rise and fall of superintendents in city after city, he has led the Boston Public Schools for nearly 11 years. Now, as he prepares to retire, the district offers a rare glimpse of what is possible with stable leadership in urban education. It is a story…

Drawing upon empirical research, the article explores the ways in which a cohort of novice teachers learned and developed over a 2-year period. It examines the interplay of personal and contextual influences on teachers' development over time and on the (trans)formation of their professional identities. A combination of methods for data collection…

Interviews with 40 recently tenured university professors indicated that scholarly work is emotional in content; it draws on scholars' emotional resources. Yet, discourse about scholarship's personal and emotional meanings is uncommon, given historic separations (reified in university policy) between emotional and cognitive work and between…

Collaboration for some English teachers has proved to be the key to effective professional development. Teachers working together on evaluating the effectiveness of a writing workshop in the high school classroom have helped them gain knowledge about their beliefs and practices.

The paper reports findings from research into the extent to which an on-line course, "Try Science", achieved its objectives compared with a face-to-face course with the same content and objectives. "Try Science" has the dual aims of developing participants' understanding of science content and of teaching science through enquiry. Whilst the…

More and more colleges and universities are utilizing web-based instruction to meet the educational needs of teachers seeking certification in special education, and effective course design strategies for using this technology are needed. In this article we present results form a survey of 54 teachers who evaluated 6 design considerations for…

An important component of quality early care and education (ECE) is teacher training. Only 18 states require teachers in private ECE settings to undergo any preservice training, however, and there are many barriers to improving these teachers' qualifications. Individual states are initiating various efforts that address those challenges and hold…

Although state attention to teacher preparation and professional development began more than 150 years ago with the provision of teacher education in Massachusetts, the federal government did not get involved in teacher preparation and development until the late 1950s. Even then, Washington lawmakers generally restricted their activities to…

Investigated the impact of a collaborative inquiry involving diverse teams of teachers, administrators, school board members, and parents. The teams collected and analyzed local data to make data-based decisions about improving teaching and learning. The collaboration helped teachers engage in a continuous improvement process that allowed them to…

Examined how New Zealand teachers' expectations of low- income students' achievement changed during a 6-month professional development in literacy effort, noting how those changes were sustained over a year. Pre- and post survey and interview data highlighted changes in teachers' expectations and self-efficacy. Conditions required to achieve…

The Government's recently introduced national strategy for primary schools in England and Wales, "Excellence and enjoyment" (DfES, 2003), encourages teachers to be creative and innovative in how they teach the curriculum, whilst "All our futures" (NACCCE, 1999) urges teachers to look for creativity in all aspects of the…

This article outlines the contradictions and challenges of introducing comprehensive, compulsory education in Andalusia for students up to the age of 16. Following a documenting of the developments, it is argued that while the intention was for a significant, planned reform, it is better characterised as one that is, at best, an improvisation. The…

Creating a state comprehensive professional development system for the preparation of early childhood personnel in the USA requires a development framework that is inclusive and responsive to diversity. Over the past few years, states from around the country have begun to embark on journeys towards the development of such a system. The purpose of…

This case study traces the development of one teacher as she participated in Teachers As Artist, a four-year professional development program for teachers. I have used transformation theory, an articulation of the complex processes involved in life-altering adult learning, to examine her development from early dispirited participation in the arts…