The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an interdisciplinary program on the secondary level. The sample consisted of 17 students enrolled in a high school advanced photography class. The students in the sample varied in their chemistry background. The sample was randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The…

High-quality teaching is the most significant school-related factor in helping students make significant gains in learning or achievement. Students who have effective teachers year after year routinely make more progress than other students. This is why every child must experience great teaching every day. For this to occur, teachers must have…

A blended in-service arrangement was designed to support Russian science teachers from rural schools in the integration of technology. Blended learning combines multiple delivery modes that are designed to complement each other and promote learning and application-based behavior. The blended in-service arrangement consisted of two main components:…

This study examines how teachers' collective efficacy (TCE), job stress, and the cultural dimension of collectivism are associated with job satisfaction for 500 teachers from Canada, Korea (South Korea or Republic of Korea), and the United States. Multigroup path analysis revealed that TCE predicted job satisfaction across settings. Job stress was…

This descriptive analysis illustrates some of the challenges in measuring investment in professional development and concludes by highlighting a promising strategy using online data systems that might improve the accuracy of spending estimates and the tracking of expenditures. Previous literature defines two categories of professional development:…

The history of performance pay programs and policies in Texas provides a backdrop to the state's Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program and the Districts Awards for Teacher Excellence (DATE) program. The TEEG and DATE programs are state-funded and provide grants to schools and districts to implement locally-designed performance pay plans.…

Instructors often teach in isolation with very little collegial interaction guiding their practice. In light of the research that exists identifying the value of collaboration within learning environments, the merits of such isolated practice must be questioned. Even though collaboration within educational settings has been identified as critical…

One of the greatest difficulties facing learning community programs at urban non-residential colleges and universities is the challenge of promoting communication and collaboration among faculty from different disciplines. In this article, the authors, a learning communities coordinator and a learning communities faculty team member, describe and…

In this article, Vicki Jacobs argues that as the nation strives to improve the literacy achievement of U.S. adolescents, educators must reframe the current "crisis" as a critical point on a continuum of historical efforts to address the particular challenges of postprimary-grade reading. Specifically, Jacobs examines the definition of adolescent…

Cross-faculty and cross-disciplinary collaborations within higher education are rare, no doubt largely due to the location of academics within discipline- and faculty-based structures. When collaborations do occur, they are frequently problematic, even when the collaborators stem from closely related disciplines. However, collaborations are…

Early childhood educators have competing demands that minimize their ability to utilize evidence-based practices and respond to the challenges posed by culturally diverse classrooms. Using a case study method, we studied four female early childhood teachers at a university-affiliated preschool who developed mini-research projects using a mediated…

Although community colleges are seen as "teaching institutions" there is little, if any, data to support this notion. This study looked at community college instructors' conceptions of effective teaching and their reported usage of effective teaching methods. Survey method was chosen as the most efficient means of collecting an amount of data that…

"The Learning Principal" is an eight-page newsletter published eight times a year. It focuses on the important and unique work of school principals. This issue includes: (1) Landmark Study Examines U.S. Professional Learning: Findings Point the Way to Improving Student Achievement (Stephanie Hirsh); (2) School Leadership: Q&A:…

This study compares the experiences and perceptions of new and experienced teachers in 235 schools in six western states (Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming) that have adopted the Reading First school reform initiative. Using previously collected data from surveys and interviews, the study considers four areas of the reform…

This case study analyzed interview data for the perceived support of professional development provided to new science teachers by a large suburban school district. Twelve new middle school teachers and 5 administrators were interviewed. Findings suggested the most useful adult learning occurred in the learning communities model of professional…