The purpose of this research study was to acquire greater insight into how educational leaders learn to develop strategies for their institution. Through a better understanding of the process by which such learning occurs, the researcher sought to uncover the factors that facilitate or impede these learning opportunities, particularly with regard…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) provide schools with a tool to meet the professional development needs of their teachers through ongoing, job-embedded staff development designed to improve instruction and student learning. While research exists on the development of PLCs, there is a gap in the literature concerning the principal's role in…

The Gilfus Education Group predicts that over the next few years, educators will make great progress in combining existing technology capabilities with the practices and theories of learning communities to develop a vigorous community learning platform which enables a richer set of educational experiences and facilitates the positive effects…

Professional development for distance tutors is traditionally delivered through texts or websites, supplemented by face to face workshops. However, one of the major challenges is to ensure that they engage with the materials and carry away something which is of value to their practice. At the Open University (UK) our 8000 tutors work from home,…

This paper presents data about the successful use of the Mentored Innovation Model for professional development for a group of Hungarian teachers (n = 23, n = 20 in two iterations), which was employed in the CALIBRATE project in order to enhance their ICT skills and pedagogical competences needed for participation in a multicultural, multilingual…

MemphiSTEP is a five-year STEM Talent Expansion Program at the U. of Memphis sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The project focuses on retention and persistence to graduation to increase the number of STEM majors and graduates. The project includes a summer Mathematics Bridge Bootcamp; research experiences for undergraduates;…

Mobile learning (m-learning) has moved beyond the realms of fantasy to become a viable platform for contextual learning that bridges formal and informal learning environments. This paper overviews how mobile Web 2.0 has been instrumental in facilitating pedagogical change and informing an institution's new e-learning strategy that focuses upon…

In this article, we draw on critical philosophies and theories related to diversity, leadership, and learning to suggest that successful school-family partnerships not only encompass collaborative structures but involve educators who reject deficit-based views of diverse families. We marshal data from our studies of school-family relations in two…

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework is a comprehensive guide to the research "and" practice of online learning. One of the most challenging aspects of establishing a CoI in online courses is finding the best way to attend to each element of the CoI framework in a primarily text-based environment. In our online courses, we have examined the…

New teachers don't last long in urban schools. From 30% to 50% of them leave these schools within their first five years, and teacher education institutions are trying a number of strategies to change this. To combat the high attrition rate among new teachers in urban schools, the authors suggest that teacher education programs should take a…

Building a stronger teacher workforce requires the thoughtful orchestration of multiple processes working together in a human capital system. This white paper presents a framework that can be used to take stock of current efforts to enhance the teacher workforce in school districts or educational organizations, as well as their underlying theories…

The present business environment demands innovative integrated learning which is a key driver of growth and productivity. In an economy driven by knowledge management the emphasis is on continuous and instant innovative learning in the organization. The holistic approach to Integrated learning involves the understanding of business requirements…

This study examined beginning teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy and professional development while engaged in communities of practice. Wenger's research on communities of practice serves as the conceptual framework for this mixed method phenomenological study. Six beginning and tenured teachers were surveyed using the Ohio State Teacher…

The California's Outstanding Math Educators' Ongoing Network (COME ON) initiative is a unique and innovative effort to support high school mathematics teachers in California. It serves as a living example of a successful model that addresses an issue critical to all of mathematics education K-18--how to sustain and strengthen those most directly…

The minute-to-minute and day-by-day use of assessment for learning holds great potential to change the trajectory of student learning in U.S. classrooms. But without effective and scalable systems of professional development that actually lead teachers to adopt these practices, the utility and impact of assessment for learning will be quite…