Professional development is a crucial component in nearly every modern proposal for educational improvement. This book contains a collection of essays by individuals well known for their work in the professional development of educators. Each essay is a systematic effort to illustrate the conceptual grounds from which each professional-development…

A conceptual framework is constructed to integrate teacher actions, teacher knowledge, and state of the art assessment methodologies. Section 1 discusses teaching in terms of tasks, and Section 2 considers the knowledge base teachers draw on in order to accomplish those tasks. Section 3 illustrates the relationship between teacher actions and…

This study analyzed differences in perception of "critical incidents" in classroom teaching among inexperienced, experienced, and award-winning university professors. In past research, expert and novice differences in teaching have been attributed to differences in teacher knowledge, but the teachers were almost entirely at the…

Alternative perspectives and practices for describing and documenting teaching practice and student learning relevant to classroom reform are identified, and a framework is provided for characterizing these process-focused instruments and indicators. Diverse descriptors were used to locate documents describing instruments and procedures used to…

The purpose of this study is to develop a model to teach procedural knowledge using the Internet. Over a 3-week period graduate level education students (N=10) were provided 12 hours of instruction and access to the Internet. Data collection methods included pre-workshop questionnaires, weekly journal entries, and post-workshop questionnaires. The…

This report describes the adult basic education profession in Australia across state boundaries and across a wide range of contexts. Chapter 1 discusses competencies and professions and why competency-based teacher education has been unsuccessful. Chapter 2 discusses the context of Adult Basic Education Competencies. Chapter 3 describes the…

This study reports one investigation to better understand teachers' perspectives about teaching Science, Technology, and Society (STS). The study examined five teachers' perceptions of STS topics taught or not taught in their local schools. These teachers completed a summer workshop or an academic year class on STS. The curricula in the two STS…

This report presents the results of a review of Florida's teacher certification system, administered by the Department of Education. The review addressed: (1) how Florida should regulate teachers to ensure that they are professionally qualified and possess the credentials, knowledge, and skills to provide a quality education; (2) who should…

This report, the second in a series published by the National Council on Teacher Quality, examines states' progress in meeting the new federal requirement that by the end of the 2005-2006 school year there will be a "highly qualified teacher" in every classroom in the nation. This new requirement has led to some discomfort in more than a…

This document contains two contributions: "Voyaging from Theory to Practice in Teaching: Measure Up" (Barbara J. Dougherty) and "Voyaging from Theory to Practice in Learning: Teacher Professional Development" (Joseph Zilliox). Hawaii is a place of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and traditions representing a myriad of global…

As schools attempt to accommodate an increasing range of students with disabilities, linguistic differences, or other unique requirements, teachers worry about their preparation to deal with these differences. General education teachers do not always have the necessary background. Special education teachers may have only limited knowledge about…

This report examines pay systems for teachers, focusing on knowledge and skill-based systems. Such systems reward teachers with base increases or bonuses for acquiring and demonstrating specific knowledge and skills needed to meet educational goals such as improving student achievement. The report examines a study of 6 school districts and one…

This final performance report discusses the activities and outcomes of a project that addressed the need for training certified and highly qualified secondary special education teachers to provide classroom and transition related instruction and services to students with low incidence or severe disabilities. The project was carried out by the…

This paper examines Florida's standards-driven performance assessment, emphasizing teacher preparation, and touching on K-12 accountability. Florida's educational reform and accountability efforts are driven by the Florida System of School Improvement and Accountability document. The system is derived from state goals similar to the national Goals…

This paper describes the philosophy, implementation, and assessment of the Natural Sciences (NatSci) Program at the University of New Mexico which is designed to provide preservice elementary and middle school teachers with the understanding of science content and processes necessary to teach science confidently and competently in their future…