This study reports the findings of a qualitative case study that examined how elements of design and organization were conceptualized and enacted in two graduate level online courses, and, how these conceptualizations and enactments evolved. Data was collected through interviews and "think-alouds" with the course instructors and through…

This three-article dissertation contains three approaches to the topic of professional learning communities and their impact on student achievement. Article I is a synthesis of the literature related to the purpose of professional learning communities. Implications in educational settings are also presented in this article. The context of the…

A growing number of schools are implementing PLCs to address school improvement, staff engage with data to identify student needs and determine instructional interventions. This is a starting point for engaging in the iterative process of learning for the teach in order to increase student learning (Hord & Sommers, 2008). The iterative process…

Supported by a four-year grant, the Science-rich Education Institution (SREI) Learning Community was created to provide professional learning opportunities for informal science educators who frequently do the same for formal educators, but rarely have the opportunity to focus on their own learning. This paper outlines the story of the SREI…

Two binary logistic regression analyses were conducted across survey data from 254 master's-level graduates to answer research questions about predicting Willingness to Give to their graduate alma mater and predicting Actual Alumni Giving behavior to their graduate alma mater. The predictor variables are dimensions from the community of inquiry…

This study examined the relationship between the strength of Professional Learning Community dimensions and the level of Self-Direction in Learning as perceived by California State certificated elementary teachers. The Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised recorded teacher perceptions of the strength of five PLC dimensions.…

This manuscript presents a conceptual heuristic to describe the development of a shared understanding of both collaboration and ambitious mathematics instruction within the context of a school-based improvement initiative. Based on empirical evidence from a two-year study in four elementary schools, we argue that the school community first learned…

"Students as Partners" (SaP) in higher education re-envisions students and staff as active collaborators in teaching and learning. Understanding what research on partnership communicates across the literature is timely and relevant as more staff and students come to embrace SaP. Through a systematic literature review of empirical…

This paper argues that work based learning has primarily addressed and rewarded the individual learner and that the 'workplace' which has provided the context for the learning receives scant attention. The author begins by speculating on how to reframe the way that organisations are thought of from a work based learning perspective and reviews…

Douglas Martin (an editor) wrote a memoir in New York Times about Matthew Lipman, the founder of philosophy for children, today's classic thinker. Lipman's death brought attention again for the philosophy for children's status among professionals. Later one of the most prestigious international educational periodical review, the "Journal of…

Professional learning is intended to improve teaching, benefit student learning and in the longer term improve achievement of targets in schools. When teachers take responsibility not only for their own learning but also for their colleagues', it can lead to a shift in attitudes towards collaborative learning. This study presents an example of a…

How do we confront entrenched educational practices in higher education that lead to student demotivation, poor retention, and low persistence? This article argues that project-based learning that situates student voice and capacity at the center of culturally-responsive curriculum has the potential to spark student passion for problem-solving…

This article considers how knowledge, education and research interact as the institutional structures that support them change. Many efforts at large-scale education reform depend upon the proposition that what counts as useful knowledge can be easily defined, without reference to the specific contexts in which that knowledge will be set to work.…

Teachers are constantly being evaluated based upon their ability to provide the best education for their students. These evaluations are done at a macro level, where teachers must meet state and national mandates that deem them highly qualified, and at a micro level, where teachers must display proficiency as effective teachers through teacher…

This article investigates the interaction between educational research and practice in school systems, through a bi-dimensional framework. Forty-four papers were selected and analysed, and were grouped based on their pertinence to the categories: "system level" (macro-meso-micro) and "locus of need"…