This case study examined a professional development experience that was facilitated for career and technical education teachers to help foster the integration of academics and career and technical education. Unlike most professional development experiences that treat teachers as passive learners, this professional development experience was…

Beyond Crossroads has as a stated objective having "two-year college mathematics faculty and institutions collaborate with professional societies, government agencies, and educational institutions to build consensus and provide guidance to practitioners." Issues involving two-year faculty and university faculty members in conversations about…

General education teachers are the most frequent consumers of Teacher Assistance Team (TAT) services; therefore, their satisfaction with the purpose, process and outcome associated with this model of prereferral intervention may influence its acceptability, use, implementation, and effectiveness (social validity). Seven empirical studies assessing…

Job satisfaction is an important issue, but remains a complex one as it is difficult to measure. A wide range of factors such as the working environment, its manner of organisation, demography and individual circumstances, etc., can substantially affect the level of job satisfaction attained by individuals. Job satisfaction and the teaching…

As the principal of Baruch College Campus High School in New York City, the author wanted to help her teachers communicate with one another and put structures in place to develop the vision of the school while giving teachers opportunities for input and growth. After conducting a needs assessment, she found that teachers who had an ally in the…

Listening to podcasts or watching videocasts in the classroom couldn't be easier--or cheaper. But if one has a computer and an Internet connection, he or she already has all the equipment he or she needs. This article lists ten podcasts for teachers and students.

The Teaching Facilitator portion of the Mathematics for Tomorrow project seeks to help a small number of teacher-leaders acquire the skills, beliefs, and knowledge they will need to lead their peers in ongoing inquiry and investigation into mathematics teaching practice. This descriptive study examines the experiences, beliefs, and concerns of…

A learning team comprises two or more teachers of any two or more subject areas who seek to create a small, cohesive learning community. Interdisciplinary learning teams are vehicles that can empower school community members. This first part of this handbook introduces the learning team concept, discusses issues to consider in implementing…

Research suggests a strong association between the existence of professional learning communities within schools, increases in the effectiveness of practice, and improvement in student achievement. This paper describes the National School Reform Faculty (NSRF), a professional development program at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at…

Interdisciplinary middle school level teams capitalize on the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Administrators and team members can maximize the advantages of teamwork using team assessments to increase the benefits for students, teachers, and the school environment. Assessing team performance can lead to high performing…

This book explains how to use whole-faculty study groups to get the entire teaching staff working together on one set of organizational goals. Chapter 1 discusses the school reform environment and the potential of whole-faculty study groups to serve as a major change process for improving schools and student learning. Chapter 2 describes the…

Approaches that schools can use to create a high-quality, professional, working community are provided in this journal issue. The report uses a case study to illustrate the process. A review of research reveals at least five major dimensions of the professional learning community: supportive and shared leadership, collective learning and…

This paper describes findings from the Science Students in Primary School (SSIPS) project in which undergraduate science specialist student teachers were placed in primary schools where they "co-taught" investigative science and technology lessons with primary teachers. Students and teachers planned, taught and evaluated science lessons together.…

This collection of papers delves into reflection as a concept and provides specific, replicable tools for professional practice. Each chapter draws on a particular school situation, demonstrating the value of teacher reflection and describing the nuts and bolts of the process, offering protocols for handling many different circumstances. After…

The practice of grouping students--such as all freshmen or students with similar career goals--into "small learning communities" or academies within a large high school is proving beneficial to many schools in raising achievement and keeping students in school. Students thrive in a small-school environment where they share the same teachers and…