This guidebook is designed to improve instructional supervisory skills of school leaders, teaching practices of teachers, and, eventually, learners' learning outcomes. With the goal of establishing Communities of Practice in schools, this guidebook will surely be a stepping stone towards improving the quality of education in the Philippines. [This…

This policy brief examines the impact of Solution Tree's PLC at Work® process on student achievement in Texas schools. Using a quasi-experimental design and statewide data, we found that students in Model PLC Schools made meaningful academic gains, averaging 3.1 months of additional learning in math and 2 months in reading compared to similar…

This report evaluates the impact of the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work® process on student academic achievement over a three-year period in Texas public schools. Drawing on linked administrative data from the University of Houston Education Research Center (UH-ERC), the study uses a quasi-experimental approach to compare…

Even though an instructional designer may not have formal authority or direct reports, to be successful, they need leadership skills. Although the literature calls for instructional designers to possess several critical leadership skills, it does not consistently present the same important skills and often defines them very broadly. Further,…

This paper analyzes some of the causes of low diversity in school settings and the benefits of working to create more diverse and inclusive environments. The goal is to offer all children an equal opportunity for educational experiences. Included is an analysis of the challenges schools are faced with when it comes to building diverse school…

Teaching resources and professional development based on mathematics education research have the potential to support teachers to develop and sustain improved pedagogies. The Queensland Department of Education provided online professional learning modules for teachers of Prep (Foundation) to Year 10 mathematics. To support implementation of the…

Junior faculty members face pressure to excel in the threefold mission of their assignment (teaching, research, and service) because the tenure process is complex and requires one to balance many diverse and competing demands. This qualitative study analyzed the self-mentoring practices of a tenure-track faculty who strove to improve his…

Quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) are designed to assess, improve, and communicate the quality of early care and education programs. Using administrative data, we investigated whether providers that participated in a county-level QRIS saw increases to their global quality (tier) rating, domain-specific quality ratings, and scores on…

Chicago Public Schools made it a priority to make high-quality, grade-level instructional materials available to all teachers and students and provide effective curriculum-based professional learning to support successful implementation. During the early planning phase, several Chicago district leaders came across "The Elements: Transforming…

In accordance with the 2012 statute, N.J.A.C. 6A:10, all New Jersey teachers must be evaluated, consistent with a set of criteria that school districts adopt, with a specific evaluation tool consisting of standards and indicators. Teachers were to be identified through a classification system that labeled them as "Highly Effective, Effective,…

Multiple meta-analyses have now documented small positive effects of teacher professional development (PD) on pupil test scores. However, the field lacks any validated explanatory account of what differentiates more from less effective in-service training. As a result, researchers have little in the way of advice for those tasked with designing or…

This study explores the perceived gap between journalism education and professional practice in Tanzania and Zambia. Through interviews with educators and journalists and an analysis of 12 journalism curricula, the findings reveal that both educators and journalists acknowledged a gap, with a shared desire for improved alignment between academic…

Aggregate national test score data have shown that student learning declined from SY19 to SY21, and that recovery began occurring from SY21 to SY22. To further the understanding of how districts in Illinois' performances have changed since the onset of the pandemic, the authors explored variation in districts' change in standardized test scores…

An increasing number of districts and schools have adopted/adapted a multi-tiered support system (MTSS). The investments in some states have been in the millions. Over the last five years, a variety of concerns have arisen across the country about how well MTSS is meeting teachers' needs for student/learning supports. Some concerns have emphasized…

To observe changes in three clients with intellectual disabilities and severe behavioral problems and staff in a long-term care residential facility after redesigning the clients' rooms by making them more personal and homely, adjusting the amount of stimuli, changing the layout, connecting to the outdoor area, and using high-quality natural…