Training is conducted to establish kids who are confident, critical, trying to ask questions and who recognize when something doesn't make sense. Some of the ways in which the second-grade teachers support the mathematics learning of the diverse group of students in their class is explored.

Teachers at two urban elementary schools with a history of low student achievement in reading met in weekly study groups to engage in structured dialogue about teaching practice. These groups were established through the support of the Urban Literacy Institute, a joint project of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and the Dayton, Ohio,…

Recent research links the development of a collaborative community of educators to enhanced teaching and learning effectiveness. This study contributes to this research by testing a work group effectiveness model with a sample of teachers from middle school teams. The study assesses the interrelationships among the model's antecedent variables…

Academic, vocational, and special educator high school teams participated in a year-long, business-, school-, and university-based institute on integrated academic/occupational learning. We describe the Institute and examine its impact on teachers' beliefs and practices. Based on analyses of teachers' discussions, interviews, written products, and…

This article describes results of a study investigating the potential of using social network analysis to evaluate programs that aim at improving schools by fostering greater collaboration between teachers. The goal of this method is to use data about teacher collaboration within schools to map the distribution of expertise and resources needed to…

This article describes the experiences of two US teacher groups and their lesson study work. Their stories illustrate some of the dynamics and promise of teacher change spurred by lesson study. The first case is primarily about teacher efficacy, as a group of teachers discover through lesson study that their planning and work can have an impact on…

This study is an investigation of the impact of collaborative teaching by student-teachers and classroom teachers on children's enjoyment and learning of science. The paper describes findings from a project in which undergraduate science specialist student-teachers were placed in primary schools where they 'co-taught' investigative science and…

A multiyear collaboration engaging key educational partners set out to understand how it was that English-language learners attending public schools that had the potential to serve as centers of excellence came to demonstrate relatively strong levels of performance on New York City and New York State standardized tests. This article describes what…

This preliminary analysis is part of the baseline phase of a longitudinal study designed to investigate the professional development of primary and secondary teachers across England. The study addresses four key research areas. The prevailing models of professional development for teachers in England are identified in this baseline phase and the…

Practitioner research is a topic of growing interest and scholarly writing in the field of education in general and adult education in particular. This article describes a particular form of practitioner research that rests on a participatory worldview and draws heavily from theory and practice in adult learning and action research.…

In 2002, Principal Candy McCarthy of Alisal High School took a big risk on behalf of her teachers and students. Because her school had been designated "under-performing," she received supplemental funding for school improvement purposes. McCarthy decided to use all of the additional funds to purchase collaborative planning time for…

Teaching music is hard work. Learning what it really takes to teach music is often even harder. New music educators need and deserve mentors' support. Those of mentors who care about their profession and the young professionals who join their ranks should continue to look for effective approaches to help sustain and nurture these new careers.…

Mentoring has been used in many professional-development settings to support individuals new to a profession. In particular, mentors are used in education and nursing to support new professionals who must meet the demands of a new position while managing the stresses of a new environment. When a mentor is asked to support a new professional, the…

This article discusses how one professional development program (STAR Tech) used communities of practice to help teachers help each other integrate technology tools into the curriculum to benefit students with and without disabilities. This case study focused on the experience of one team member, a third grade teacher of an inclusive classroom.…

We describe an urban school initiative aimed at teachers' professional development with the goal of increasing their mathematics content knowledge and helping them improve their practice. In the lowest performing schools, mathematics specialists were employed to teach only mathematics in upper-elementary grades (ages 9-12). One aspect of this…