Italy's Special Project for Foreign Languages addresses problems resulting from the lack of preservice education by retraining inservice, secondary level, foreign language teachers and thus, improving foreign language education standards. This annual program includes three-hour sessions and intensive eight-hour days throughout the school year.…

Describes a professional development project called the Learning Network, launched in 1998. The Learning Network can serve as a model for the integration of technology with interdisciplinary curriculum development and for the creation of a virtual museum. Discusses how the Learning Network incorporates the Massachusetts's learning standards. (CMK)

Equity as absence of discrimination is an outdated concept and a measurement nightmare. Focusing on (academic) results can strengthen educational equity and contribute to economic opportunity; in fact, quality and equity go together. California's concentration of resources on professional development should help more students meet higher…

Small school size (fewer than 400 students) makes possible success-enhancing structures and practices: strong, ongoing student/adult and home/school relationships; flat organizational structure; concentration on a few goals; ongoing, site-specific professional development; a respectful culture; and community engagement. Implementation barriers are…

Discusses teaching Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history at an urban, minority high school. Addresses student recruitment; using a summer assignment; notetaking and the Document-Based Quiz, various teaching strategies; preparing and reviewing for the AP examination; using special events; and the importance of professional development and…

Describes a California high school's collaborative teacher observation model. The Teacher-Guided Observation/Curriculum Analysis is a continuously evolving instructional and curricular development program that recognizes teachers' need to be treated like professionals, have nonthreatening growth opportunities, assume primary responsibility for…

Examines strategies for mitigating problems encountered by first-year principals, highlighting the successes of mentoring programs. Describes mentoring programs in several Catholic schools, indicating that mentors assist the new principal bridge the gap between the theory and the reality of educational administration. (MAB)

Studied role of 4 factors in scholarly writing of tenured female faculty (n=59) who have significant publication records: personal qualities, graduate program, organizational or institutional supports, and participation in professional associations. Findings suggest that participants generally struggled to assume the role of intellectual authority…

In 1992 and 1993, the Boston Public Schools and Boston Teachers' Union contracts established school-based management as a schoolwide policy. Now Boston's school-site councils are focusing on varied educational improvement issues, including educational missions, effective teaching strategies, genuine parent involvement, a student-centered…

Emphasizes the intrinsic unity of all the intelligences as well as the inseparable nature of the interpersonal and intrapersonal. Emphasizes the theories of both Gardner and Montessori as a whole, and looks at common features in intelligence profiles and educational environments described by both. (MOK)

SCANSLink (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) is a statewide model for postsecondary faculty professional development in Texas. This article discusses SCANSLink's evolution into an Internet-accessible electronic newsletter and its design for viewer feedback and interaction though electronic mail and hypertext links. Focusing on…

Discusses the importance of the Reggio Emilia approach in relation to cultural and professional attitudes. Claims that the preschools of Reggio Emilia have evolved to their current preeminence because those involved in Italy have set themselves the task of overcoming the impediments to dialog. Encourages the development of communities of inquiry…

A study of restructuring in three urban elementary schools with ethnically diverse populations found that the schools did change, with new student grouping patterns, new ways of allocating time, increased teacher collaboration, and new ideas for professional development. Changing teacher practice was primarily a matter of learning rather than…

Describes a group called the Southern Arizona Early Childhood Network, an eclectic collection of leaders invested in the well-being of young children, including directors, child care advocates, health care providers, teacher educators, teachers, and agency personnel. Discusses how the group serves as a forum to share information, experiences,…

Drawing on 5 years' experience with collaborative activities, examines school leadership's role in creating and supporting an appropriate ambience for collaborative inquiry among teachers. Leaders can become participant-learners who contribute to a collective understanding of this practice. Learning together furnishes a sturdy scaffold for further…