The traditional concept of community is considered and redefined in relation to the new phenomenon of virtual community, which offers an expansion, and significant changes, in professional relationships and activities. Perspectives are offered on community within organizations and professional groups, the role of professional community in higher…

Presents the results of a survey of 130 community colleges regarding faculty development efforts. Found that: (1) faculty development in American community colleges lacked leadership and was not well connected to the colleges' missions; (2) 84% of faculty development officers spent less than half their time on development duties; and (3)…

Describes predicaments students may face if their families are temporarily homeless, which can seriously affect their health and education. A study of temporarily homeless Scottish families shows that teachers may be unaware of such situations and the ramifications for student health, school attendance, and school performance. Creative inservice…

Investigated the effectiveness of a school-wide discipline model designed to improve classroom behavior while reducing the extent to which all students, especially those with emotional and behavioral problems, were involved in disciplinary actions. Treatment fidelity data provided support for the integrity of teachers' use of the program. Numbers…

Describes how one teacher used an instructional Web site to encourage student learning, explaining how such Web sites can create teacher development opportunities. The paper explains how to get teachers to build and use instructional sites and how to empower teachers to participate and innovate. Sidebars describe the school, explain what makes a…

Describes five issues that should be addressed simultaneously when using technology-enhanced instruction in the classroom: infrastructure and hardware, software, professional development, maintenance, and long-term support. Three sidebars focus on: ways to get started using technology in the classroom, tips from the trenches (how not to reinvent…

It is generally accepted that to live and work in the remote regions of Australia requires specific skills and expertise to accommodate the shifting demands of outback life. For professionals assigned to such areas by employing bodies, this is particularly the case, and teachers are no exception. In addition to such personal attributes,…

The research reported in this paper compares the experiences of twentytwo secondary teachers and twelve university tutors as they embark on a course of a "new" in-service professional development programme in Greece, in relation to adult learning. It harnesses a qualitative methodology and draws upon a set of ideas that cohere under the…

The ongoing reform in science education in many countries, including Israel, has attainment of scientific literacy for all as one of its main goals. In this context, it is important to provide teachers with the opportunity to construct meaning for the term science literacy and by doing so to obtain a clear understanding of the new teaching goals.…

The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of computer and information technology in scaling up research-validated instructional strategies like ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT). Recently, implementation software, the CWPT Learning Management System, web and e-mail communications, and interactive multimedia resources have been developed to…

Plagiarism is a complex, culturally loaded concept which causes much anxiety for both academics and students. Exactly what constitutes plagiarism is dependent on a number of contextual factors. Despite the difficulties associated with defining and detecting plagiarism, it is said to be on the increase, and students from "other cultures"…

In this study, students and their teachers participated in a layered approach to reading intervention in kindergarten through third grade that included professional development for teachers in scientifically based reading instruction, ongoing measurement of reading progress, and additional small-group or individual instruction for students whose…

In this article, the authors--the teacher educators who obtained a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVD)--explore what it meant for teachers and teacher educators involved in the PorTRAIT (Practitioner or Teacher Researchers As Inquiring Travelers) program to enlarge their views of teacher research and their own classrooms by being…

Library Media Specialist and outside consultants provided several reading workshops for faculty and the reading program at Farmington High School, the school being fortunate among a limited number of schools that provide a true reading time for its students. The faculty has begun to assign books and their expectation for students to read is…

The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics and perceived effectiveness of staff development practices in selected high schools in South Dakota. The review of literature and research related to staff development examined the following questions: What types of staff development practices are being employed to encourage and…