Purpose: This paper aims to describe a qualitative study of a four-year, state-wide portfolio evaluation system for new principals. The State of Ohio (USA) was one of five states that participated in a field test of the Portfolio Assessment for School Leaders designed by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) and the…

For more than a decade the health education profession has used the seven responsibilities, outlined from the 1978-1988 Role Delineation Project, as the foundation for credentialing, curricular structure in professional preparation programs, and continuing education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the seven…

Over the past decade, a large body of literature has emerged on professional development, teacher learning, and teacher change. The research literature contains a mix of large- and small-scale studies, including intensive case studies of classroom teaching, evaluations of programs designed to improve teaching and learning, and surveys of teachers…

This article briefly examines the way one school approached the development of its contribution to the training of teachers.

The practice of integrating technology into classroom instruction is mandated by the State of Texas (TEA, 2005, http://www.tea.state.tx.us/teks/index.html). Using a self-report survey, this study investigated technology integration practices on two elementary campuses in a suburban, small-town independent school district, which resides on the…

This article reports key findings from a 2-1/2-year mixed methodological study of professional learning communities, the first of its kind in England. In particular, the concept of effectiveness is explored as it relates to professional learning communities. We describe three ways in which effectiveness can be construed, arguing that any…

Professional development practices implemented in rural school systems have often led nowhere. These practices seem to produce adult learning activities with few results other than participants' mounting frustration and another innovation left by the wayside. To encourage the development of productive professional development, many studies are…

This study was designed to determine the degree to which the National Business Education Association's Information Technology Standards, as presented in the National Standards for Business Education (2nd ed.), have been implemented in Alabama business education courses. Alabama business education teachers were surveyed to determine the degree of…

A Texas district shows what can be done when school-based staff developers work with teachers dedicated to improvement--student achievement improves in just one year. The author points out the factors that helped make it work and offers tips for traps to avoid. (Contains 10 charts.)

This booklet synthesises the research on teacher professional learning and development that has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on valued student outcomes. Its findings relate to teachers who have received at least some initial teacher education and who are in the process of deepening their knowledge and refining their skills. The…

Today's fixation on math and literacy testing makes it tough for social studies teachers to deliver a challenging curriculum. But you can overcome those constraints and prepare students to actively participate in a democratic society with the ideas from this new volume in our "Priorities in Practice" series. Firsthand accounts from talented and…

This paper discusses the online Personal Learning Planner (PLP) project underway at the National Institute of Community Innovations (NICI), one of the partners in the Teacher Education Network (TEN), a 2000 PT3 Catalyst grantee. The Web-based PLP provides a standards-linked "portfolio space" for both works in progress and demonstration collections…

The Early ON School Readiness Project is an emerging community-based model aimed at promoting the school readiness of 3- to 5-year-old children in a metropolitan area with a predominantly Latino (Mexican-American) population. Using an ecological approach, the multi-component program seeks to enhance school readiness opportunities for children at…

The authors investigated the impact of professional development programs for English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers on their classroom practice and on the way that teacher efficacy and organizational support at the school level relate by interacting with years of teaching experience. The authors collected data by using questionnaires…

During the 1994-95 school year, the Community School Districts (CSDs) of the New York City school system submitted plans for multicultural education to the New York City Board of Education through its Office of Multicultural Education. The Board's Office of Educational Research surveyed the CSDs about the success of the programs. Participants were…