Describes the new direction in Canadian continuing education for German teachers. Autonomous learning and collegial collaboration at the regional level are at the center of this re-orientation. At the national level, networking among regionally-active teacher groups that will lead to a new organizational structure and to new forms of cooperation…

Introduces a conceptual model, the continuous systems-level assessment (CSLA) model, that provides school and other professionals with a method for making data based decisions and which uses assessment information to design effective professional development strategies. Illustrates the model as implemented in an urban school. (SLD)

Proposes and tests a model of socialization factors that may be related to the evaluation of new elementary and secondary assistant principals' job performance. These factors were grouped into individual demographics; professional socialization; and organizational socialization. Covariance structure analysis supported the proposed theoretical…

In 1985, the Medicine Hat School District in southern Alberta, Canada, initiated the Model for Teacher Supervision and Evaluation to change school district culture and promote teachers' professional development and empowerment. The change mechanism was clinical supervision--a process allowing teachers to determine and achieve their own goals. The…

The supervision model adopted by the Minot (North Dakota) Public School District Board of Education provided the skeletal foundation for the Magic City Campus instructional growth plan. By enhancing this framework with both an instructional model and indepth coaching, teacher growth and effectiveness naturally evolved. Principals striving to be…

Compares the professional development programs developed by the Small Business Development Centers in Michigan and Florida. Looks at the staffing, needs assessment methods, program structure, training methods and materials, competency measurement methods, and program evaluation of the two programs. Provides a checklist for creating professional…

Comprehensive school-reform models like the Accelerated Schools Project stress professional development and give educators specific, research-based strategies to address essential requirements for enhancing academic achievement. The federal Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration initiative provides necessary funding. Information sources and…

A partnership between the University of North Carolina and Hunter Elementary School in Greensboro attempts to close the achievement gap for low-income students and simultaneously the gap between the skills teachers should possess and the quality of training they receive. The partnership follows the professional development school (PDS) model and…

This paper describes "Keli" (Exemplary Lesson Development), a new model of in-service teacher education in China, implemented within a broader program of "Xingdong Jiaoyu" (Action Education), which has been implemented since 2003. This paper sets out how to implement the innovative Keli model. Finally, the implications for the…

In a time of evolving Algebraic standards and expectations for Minnesota teachers and students, the establishment of quality professional development and technical assistance can help educators move more confidently toward greater mathematics understanding and, subsequently, successful teaching and learning. To this end, the Minnesota Department…

The voluminous literature on teacher professional development presents varied components of what constitutes meaningful professional development experiences for elementary teachers. The research reported here first identifies these components through an analysis of the literature, and then describes a research project in which those components…

This article describes the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), a nonprofit advocacy organization that engages with school communities through professional development to build relationships with educators, students, parents, and community stakeholders. NUA consultants are former and current university professors, former…

This article describes the efforts of a combinatorial approach of Schools Around the World (SAW) and Understanding by Design (UbD) to create a foundation for lesson study efforts based on the Japanese model. UbD provides a framework for study units rich in essential content, assessment practices and well-crafted activities. SAW and lesson study…

Which comprehensive school reform programs have been proven to help elementary and secondary students achieve? To find out, this review summarizes evidence on comprehensive school reform (CSR) models in elementary and secondary schools. Comprehensive school reform models are programs used schoolwide to improve student achievement. They typically…

This study investigated the impact of a Professional Development School (PDS) on student learning by comparing student achievement in a PDS and a control school. Student achievement data were collected from an elementary PDS and a matched control school over a 6-year period. The results indicate that the PDS moved more students up to mastery level…