This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year project of faculty and curricular development using a variety of classic texts and involving 10 liberal arts colleges and one state university. Three-week summer seminars were held for faculty who studied self-selected classics introduced by master teachers, and discussed…

This report describes the reactions of beginning teachers, mentors, principals, and district coordinators in 12 New Brunswick, Canada, school districts to a teacher induction program that paired beginning teachers with experienced mentor teachers over one school year. Questionnaires were sent to each of the four groups. All four groups strongly…

Faculty and student ratings of improvement, taken late in a semester, were more positive for faculty participants in a teaching improvement program than for nonparticipants. A follow-up study of program users after one or more semesters substantiated these results, with apparent and durable improvements observed. (Author)

This four-year study investigated effects of a health-related physical education program on quantity and quality of lessons in seven elementary schools. Results showed that specialists produced the best outcomes and that trained teachers were superior to controls. Part 2 of the study assessed maintenance effects 1.5 years following intervention…

As concern about the role and performance of teaching assistants grows, universities find themselves initiating training programs. Issues to be considered include: who should provide training, relationships between the different providers, program requirements and curricula, length of the program, follow-up activities, preparation for…

Describes La Guardia Community College's interdisciplinary approach to the teaching of critical thinking, focusing on the program's impact on literacy, reasoning, problem solving, and critical attitudes. Presents guidelines for integrating critical thinking. Discusses the importance of professional development to encourage curricular changes,…

The professional development plan for the Wichita State University (Kansas) College of Education and the process used to develop it are described. The committee that developed the plan first had to reach consensus on the purpose and nature of professional development. Reflections are offered on why the program has succeeded so well and on the next…

Previous studies into teacher attitude and motivation have identified staff development as one of the contributing factors in using ICT (information and communication technology) effectively in the classroom. Substantial funds have been provided for such staff development in recent years in the United Kingdom. Currently, ICT training is being…

"Let's Think!" is a cognitive acceleration programme aimed at developing thinking in children aged between 5 and 6. "Let's Think!" was described in "PSR" 69 (Robertson, 2001) using the acronym CASE @ KS1, as it was known before publication by NFER-Nelson. Since then, "Let's Think!" has spread beyond the…

The implementation of new content and pedagogical standards in science education necessitates intensive, long-term professional development of science teachers. In this paper, we describe the rationale and structure of a comprehensive and intensive professional development program of school-based leaders, namely school chemistry coordinators. The…

The purpose of this paper is to report on the professional development model of Teacher Institute for Curriculum Knowledge about Integration of Technology (TICKIT). This paper will situate the TICKIT model with past findings from professional development research, and provide researchers and practitioners facilitating future programs advice based…

The aim of the present study is to examine the impact of an INSET programme on regular classroom teachers' attitudes towards deaf students educated in regular primary schools. In this research project, a quantitative research approach is used involving randomised allocation of subjects to groups, and a pre-test--post-test design. The sample for…

The "2010 State Preschool Yearbook" is the eighth in a series of annual reports profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. This latest Yearbook presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2009-2010 school year. The first report in this series focused on programs for the 2001-2002 school year and…

Reduction in the size of classes from Kindergarten to Grade 3 was a major Liberal Party campaign promise in Ontario's 2003 provincial election. It was intended to demonstrate a new government's commitment to improving public education. By the 2008-09 school year, the provincial government's goals had been achieved: over 90% of all primary classes…

The "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" (PL 107-110) established the Reading First (RF) Program (Title I, Part B, Subpart 1), a major Federal initiative designed to help ensure that all children can read at or above grade level by the end of third-grade. The legislation (Section 1205 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) requires…