How can a young media specialist not only survive but thrive during their first year on the job? What do you need to know about working with an experienced staff? In this article, the author provides some strategies that helped the author earn his colleagues' respect. Sections include: (1) Listen and Learn; (2) Take the Terror out of Technology;…

The exclusion of pupils from mainstream and special schools remains a serious issue in the UK despite various initiatives to reduce both the number and the impact of such exclusions. Among those who are consistently over-represented in the exclusion statistics for England are pupils with special educational needs (SEN)--particularly, but not…

This article discusses the (National Staff Development Council's (NSDC) 12 Under 12 project and how it helps the participating schools in closing the academic achievement gap. NSDC embarked on the 12 Under 12 project as a way of prodding schools into moving more quickly than the federal government's requirement that every student meet or exceed…

One of the largest initiatives using coaching has been Reading First, a federal project whose purpose is to improve reading outcomes for students in low-performing K-3 schools. The present study addressed two questions: (1) Who becomes a reading coach, and what background, skills, and qualifications do coaches bring to their jobs? and (2) How do…

As librarians work to prepare themselves and their colleagues to function in the rapidly growing world of information they often find themselves feeling alone and overwhelmed. One group of Ohio school librarians took on the daunting challenge of keeping up with the continually changing world of information technology and together developed an…

This qualitative case study examines the relationship of teachers who mentor other teachers. We studied 125 autobiographical portfolios submitted by elementary and secondary teachers who had won awards as outstanding educators from their campuses and were competing at the district level. The research site was a midsize city (population 95,000) in…

The new Queensland "Mathematics Years 1-10 Syllabus" differs from previous syllabuses in that it has an outcomes structure that describes how students think, reason, and work mathematically. The main challenge for secondary teachers implementing the new syllabus lies in taking a more investigative approach to "working…

To improve the quality in teaching and learning, opportunities need to be provided where practitioners and researchers meet and share visions, disseminate findings, co-construct ideas, and set research agendas together. Visiting a conference is one well-known and established way to do this. But are they effective? A survey was conducted among the…

A total of 1533 regular education and special education teachers from eight school districts in four states rated their knowledge of and satisfaction with school psychological services. Perceived helpfulness of psychological services to teachers and children was also assessed. Finally, both groups rated their perceptions of school psychologists'…

Educators, practitioners, and policy makers have long debated the impact of the results of evaluation studies on educational practice. If evaluation is to influence practice, the communication gap between researchers and decision makers must be reduced or eliminated. In order to close this gap, evaluators must become educators, working with a…

Public policy questions such as public funding for Catholic schools, the extent of government involvement in private education, and church-state relations in general are not unique to the United States. This article discusses Catholic education in Scotland, with a view to explaining the ongoing need for cooperation and goodwill in church-state…

Grooming an assistant principal to lead a school is a privilege for any principal and enables him or her to leave a larger mark on the field. Although assistant principals are ultimately responsible for their own professional growth, principals must not underestimate their responsibility to help train aspiring principals. Preparing assistant…

This article explores the concept of community of enquiry through an examination of 3 case studies: (a) a school-based community of enquiry involving pupils, teachers, and researchers; (b) a community of enquiry involving teachers from around 100 different schools in a Scottish local authority, together with policy advisers and researchers; and…

The staff development teacher facilitates the evolution of a school-based professional learning community focused on improving teaching and learning by being a catalyst for teacher change and reflection. These teacher leaders needed the knowledge and skills to transform individual school staffs into professional learning communities focused on…

Mentor teachers have an important role in inducing beginning teachers into the profession. They must be highly accepting of new teachers and be able to work with teachers possessing a wide variety of personalities and purposes. Mentor teachers must be chosen carefully. The mentor teacher should be highly knowledgeable about methods of teaching…