This paper presents the outcomes of a small research project that sought to explore the value of a Staff Associate Scheme linked to the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) in a post-92 university. The Associates are a group of academic and professional service staff seconded from their Schools and services for one day a week, usually for a…

Rural schools face unique and complex challenges and opportunities specific to rural contexts. Recognizing this, the Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15CC) created and facilitates a community of practice (COP), the Rural COP, focused specifically on rural education in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. The goals of this COP are to share…

This action research study identified the effects of learner-centered professional development (PD) and continuous support of effective teaching practices during professional learning communities (PLCs). This study focused on four specific areas--(1) building the teacher's content knowledge through PD, (2) providing support for the implementation…

Minoritized students in civil engineering frequently experience subtle negative attitudes or biases based on their race and gender. These subtle attitudes and biases are known as microaggressions and are reasons for low self-efficacy and retention in civil engineering. Previous studies demonstrated the prevalence of microaggressions in engineering…

Social studies instructional time in elementary schools has declined substantially. Responding to this, the National Geographic Society (NGS) developed a professional learning program called the Elementary Social Studies Community of Practice (ESSCoP). This article describes this program's design and content, as well as evaluates its…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, K12 districts implemented online professional development (PD) programs to support teachers' online teaching skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy. Many of these programs, however, over-relied on content delivery and failed to provide an online learning environment ripe for developing teachers' self-efficacy.…

The Roundtable on Mentorship, Well-being, and Professional Development convened a workshop on October 28 and 29th, 2024 to explore how the well-being, professional development, and interpersonal and mentoring relationships of graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty are affected by national and global events, cultural shifts, and…

The impact of global digitalization on religious attitudes and self-identification is profound. Since religious identity often serves as a fundamental component of national identity, examining the impact of the virtual environment on religiosity and self-identification is particularly relevant. This study aims to identify the key characteristics…

In spring 2025, the authors surveyed 207 American School District Panel member districts about principal pipelines, preparations, and supports. In this report, the authors describe the principal pipeline in school districts across the United States and the prevalence of professional development (PD) targeted at building and strengthening…

The retention of first-year college students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields is a persistent concern in higher education. A variety of high impact practices can contribute to improving the persistence of STEM majors, particularly among underrepresented groups. One specific practice is the implementation of…

This autoethnographic reflection provides an intimate look into the thoughts and feelings of a graduate student in a teacher education program who embarks on a directed study project with her professor and academic adviser. The experience gives her the opportunity to cross unfamiliar thresholds regarding culture and class, urban and suburban, and…

This report summarizes findings from the third year of a long-term research partnership on the special education teacher pipeline in Pennsylvania and projects associated with the Bureau of Special Education's Attract-Prepare-Retain (APR) efforts. We analyze administrative, survey, and interview data associated with seven APR projects that occurred…

This paper considers the under researched area relating to defining and conceptualising non-formal teacher professional development. It makes the case for adopting the general term grassroots professional development, specifically when this is self-directed activity led by educators. The article serves the purpose of being a position paper for…

This qualitative study investigates how academic librarians perceive the professional conversation about information literacy assessment, focusing on their characterization of the discourse and the benefits of and barriers to their participation. Findings from phenomenological interviews indicate that librarians view the conversation as valuable…

Background/Context: When new, rigorous standards are adopted, teachers often need to learn new content and new ways of teaching while concurrently attending to accountability demands. Both formal and informal school structures potentially enable this new learning, and school leaders likely influence the nature of these structures.…