California Lutheran University's (CLU's) School of Education created Project MAGNETIC CONNECTIONS to strengthen links between teacher preparation programs and K-12 schools through real-time connections and shared learning opportunities between partners. Three technology-rich schools became laboratories for learning for CLU students and faculty,…

This guide presents research-based practices and elements that are essential to effective systemic reform, especially as such reform relates to the needs, challenges, and context of urban schools. It is designed to enable school leadership teams to develop, review, and revise school plans that focus on the elements of effective educational…

A study reflected on managing technological change in teaching and learning, with particular emphasis on staff development. It drew on two national reports in Australia. One report team interviewed senior management in 50 percent of Australian universities. The other reviewed 104 nationally funded information technology (IT) based teaching…

This paper provides an overview of the Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI), a research-based instructional program designed to improve students' ability to read, understand, and communicate in English. The program focuses on pre- and inservice professional development for teachers who are trained in a highly structured,…

The promise of education reform is that all children will receive a quality education. However, there are enormous challenges to reform, including resource inequities, an aging teaching force, and public doubts about school effectiveness. Moreover, school reform policies place enormous strain on teachers and students. Teachers need to implement…

This book demonstrates how teachers and administrators can work collaboratively on maintaining continual growth, focusing on the Life Cycle of the Career Teacher Model, which crosses the continuum of practice from preservice preparation through professional development. Case studies illustrate the Reflection-Renewal-Growth Cycle Model in action.…

A naturalistic inquiry was undertaken to explore current instructional practice in three distance education settings. Perceptions of researcher, practitioner, and participants engaged in a doctoral field research study were explored, with a focus on the gap between instructional design skills and instructional strategies used by distance education…

Through its grants, the National Science Foundation sponsors workshops that inform faculty of current topics in computer science. Such a workshop, entitled, "Developing Multimedia-based Interactive Laboratory Modules for Computer Science," was given July 27-August 6, 1998, at Illinois State University at Normal. Each participant was…

The Virtual High School (VHS) is a cooperative of over 125 high schools, funded by a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant. Teachers in the cooperative, with the help of teacher mentors, instructional technology experts, university faculty, and businesses, design and offer innovative courses over the Internet. This paper discusses VHS course…

This book focuses on the professional development of teachers and discusses issues related to science education reform. The content of the book is divided into two parts. Part 1, Professional Development: Implications for Science Leadership, chapters include: (1) "The Role of the Science Leader in Implementing Standards-Based Science Programs"…

This report summarizes findings from a study of Americans' attitudes toward teaching, educational opportunity, and school reform, examining: what Americans feel must be done to ensure that all schools become what they should be, teachers' roles in fulfilling the quest for higher student achievement, and how well current and proposed reform efforts…

This book provides information and activities to help school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum developers to establish a school plan that supports in-class technology usage for students and teachers. Chapter 1 provides the context and rationale for the technology shift suggested in the book. Chapter 2 outlines how crucial…

Currently, every aspect of Japanese education in undergoing reform. The personnel management system is being structured largely from the viewpoint of two policy interests: introduction of a new teacher evaluation system and dealing with teachers' lack of teaching skills and competencies. This paper examines these two policy interests, noting…

This paper discusses problematic issues related to teacher education in the Professional Development School (PDS) environment, noting the assumption that partnership between the academy and the public school via PDSs is the foundation of all teacher development. It cautions that while partnership is now deeply embedded in the United States, there…

This report describes the Collaborative Yearlong Teaching Experience (CYTE), an extensive 1-year internship program that promotes a coaching/mentoring model of preservice education and professional job-embedded staff development in Broward County, Florida. This student teacher program is intended to help preservice teachers meet the demands of the…