This paper examines secondary science teachers' perspectives of the role that mentoring by a scientist and science educator pair played in their professional development. Multiple data sources from three years of a professional development project, including interviews, participant reflections, and a focus group, were used to examine the benefits,…

This paper reports the findings from a research study conducted by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) in partnership with the Faculty Inquiry Network (FIN), a professional development program designed to engage faculty at 18 colleges across California. Participants were FIN faculty teams involved in iterative…

The purpose of this study was to investigate socio-cultural factors underpinning curriculum change by examining teacher beliefs in the context of professional development. Scottish teachers in the study were participating in policy implementation based on formative assessment. Teachers were selected who were positive about the formative assessment…

Peer observation partnerships can help teachers improve their teaching practice, transform their educational perspectives and develop collegiality (Bell 2005). This paper describes the peer observation model used in the tutor development program in the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Sydney, and reports on the effectiveness…

For most of the last 50 years, teachers and administrators have perceived professional development and the instructional role primarily in terms of what one individual does with classes of others. Teachers, like their students, were considered to be rather passive acceptors of the instruction, rather than active modifiers. Thus, there was very…

Introduction: This study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of a continuing education course in facilitating the development and implementation of educational projects of course participants. Methods: This is a case study evaluating a full-year course that consisted of 11 monthly seminars, each 4 hours in length, including practice in a…

Low-income preschool children face many risks to their social-emotional development that can affect their school experience and social outcomes for years to come. Although there are some promising approaches to improving young children's social-emotional competence, the evidence base is limited, particularly on the effectiveness of these…

College readiness is becoming an increasingly important standard by which to measure school success and student achievement. While high school graduation and dropout prevention remain critical issues for educators, there is a substantial gap in outcomes between students who only earn a high school diploma and those who go on to obtain a college…

This paper argues that research on teacher professional development could be integrated with validated theoretical models of educational effectiveness research (EER). A dynamic integrated approach (DIA) to teacher professional development is proposed. The methods and results of a study comparing the impact of the DIA and the Holistic-Reflective…

Access to high-quality education is uneven, particularly for preschool children who are at risk for school failure. Professional development (PD) for teachers, including the use of coaching, is an increasingly common approach for promoting evidence-based instruction. Existing research suggests that the frequency of teacher participation in a PD…

The expansion of distance education makes it necessary for many faculty to take on the role of online instructor. As a result, higher education institutions face the challenge of training their faculty to make a shift from teaching in traditional to virtual environments. The Higher Learning Commission's Best Practices for Electronically Offered…

This study examined the effectiveness of a yearlong, researcher-provided, Tier 2 (secondary) intervention with a group of sixth-graders. The intervention emphasized word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Participants scored below a proficiency level on their state accountability test and were compared to a similar group of…

To assist in the training and professional development of faculty new to teaching online, Sacred Heart University established the Digital Learning Faculty Certificate Program. This 8-week online cohort program provides faculty with best practices for teaching online, including instructional design, effective online communication and appropriate…

The AP Achievement Institute I (APAI I) is a four-day professional development program offered to teachers and administrators by EXCELerator™, a district reform program operated by the College Board. The APAI I program is designed to help teachers develop effective AP instructional strategies for a diverse student body and to help district,…

As research demands continue to weigh heavily on junior and non-tenured faculty, the need to maintain and develop sound teaching is crucial. Yet few studies have systematically explored how a faculty development program (FDP) can impact the way that faculty experience or conceive of teaching. In this study, we examine how a year-long FDP impacts…