The goal of the Changing the Culture project at the University of Rhode Island is to develop a multi-institutional, statewide network of disability resource mentors, whereby faculty and administrators encourage their department colleagues to develop policies and teaching practices that are inclusive of students with disabilities. The CTC program…

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was established in 1987 to develop and operate a system of advanced certification; including a set of high and rigorous standards of accomplished teaching and an assessment system designed to measure these standards. Utilizing a qualitative, case study framework, this research project…

The author, who is Director and Deputy Head Teacher of a newly established Department for Education and Skills training school, examines the origins of the successful bid for training school status, the proposed changes to professional practice and informed discourse, and the enhanced expertise which it will bring to all involved, and how already…

This article describes and analyzes institutional and college efforts at the University of Wyoming (UW) to address diversity issues and promote multicultural perspectives in a variety of contexts. The UW college of education (COE), a focus of the article, is engaged in strategic efforts to make the preparation of teachers a university-wide…

This brochure makes a case for devoting more attention to writing, and demonstrates through recent research results that the National Writing Project (NWP) has had a positive impact on teachers and students across the country. Independent national scorings of student writing show that NWP student improvement out paces that of students in carefully…

Background/Context: In an era of high stakes accountability, public school districts struggle to improve teaching and learning for all students. As a result, effective professional development approaches for teachers are a high priority. Recently, teachers' learning communities (LCs) have been recommended because successful LCs foster teacher…

The Substitute Vocational Assistant Program (S.V.A.P.) was designed to provide highly motivated high school graduates with the opportunity to obtain New York State Education Department certification and employment as a vocational/trade education teacher. The program is a comprehensive experience, 5 and one half years in length, that includes a…

This chapter on designing and implementing effective staff development programs is taken from a guide to instruction and services for students with disabilities. The chapter focuses on assessment of staff development needs and identification of priorities for training. Staff development options are discussed in terms of formats (such as workshops,…

A 5-year Title III grant received by Northern Maine Technical College (NMTC) in 1989 provided funding for professional development (PD) activities at the college. To evaluate the impact of the grant and plan for the continuation of the professional development program, a study was conducted in 1994 near the end of the grant period. Following a…

The mission of the South Carolina Writing Improvement Network (WIN) is to improve students' writing abilities by providing professional development programs and writing activities for remedial writing teachers. A study assessed the effects of WIN on the growth and professional development of writing teachers, as well as the effects of the…

In 1980, the Texas Tech University Teacher Corps offered a professional development program for elementary and secondary school teachers in Lubbock, Texas designed to help teachers gain new research knowledge and skills. The program was patterned after the Interactive Research and Development model, a strategy providing research experience through…

Designed to provide information for those who make decisions about staff development at the school district level as well as for those responsible for implementing school-site programs, this monograph is based on the premise that an integral part of any school improvement effort is an organized, sustained, and comprehensive program of staff…

The sourcebook is for those people who serve as administrators of adult basic, adult secondary, and/or adult English-for-speakers-of-other-languages (ESOL) programs, whether those programs are school-based, community-based, or community-college-based. This is one of the various tools developed through the National Center for the Study of Adult…

The Data Collaborative Model (DCM) assembles assessment literacy, reflective practices, and professional development into a four-component process. The sub-components include assessing students, reflecting over data, professional dialogue, professional development for the teachers, interventions for students based on data results, and re-assessing…

The 27 school reform models presented in this publication have been supported, at some time in their development and dissemination, by the National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department Education. As part of its mission, the Institute supports the development of…