Often, for preservice students, teacher education programs consist of a series of disjointed experiences that fail to make a connection with their fieldwork and student teaching. For example, preservice teachers typically read about how to incorporate specific teaching methods, classroom management strategies, and assessment tools into their…

We describe our school/university professional development school (PDS) partnership through the voices of the participants. We suggest that long-term professional growth and the accompanying recognition of professional self requires consideration of the complexity of the endeavor. There is general recognition of the role of collegiality and…

A recent report published by the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) presents findings from the first-year evaluation of the Governor's Educator Excellence Grant (GEEG) program, one of several statewide educator incentive programs in Texas. In this report, the authors provide an overview of 99 schools' locally designed educator…

The vast majority of teachers who engage in the process of National Board certification describe it as the best professional development they have ever experienced - even when they do not achieve the certification. Learning leverage, an interactive dynamic characterized by rigor, reward, and risk, is what makes the certification process such a…

The Australian and South Pacific External Studies Association (ASPESA)-- the predecessor of the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia, Inc. (ODLAA)--was founded in 1973. From the outset, ASPESA adopted a broader-than-Australia focus for open and distance learning that included New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the member countries…

This article reports on Norwalk-La Mirada school district's work to transform the principals of its 29 schools into leaders of instruction, rather than managers of school buildings. Policymakers nationwide increasingly see the shift as crucial for academic achievement, but relatively few districts have taken concrete steps to help principals make…

To address the varying needs of media specialists, area Educational Technology Training Centers, Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESA), and larger school systems are forming professional development communities or consortia that cater specifically to the continuing education needs of library media specialists. In addition to academic and…

Viewing teachers as leaders requires a paradigm shift about the concept of leadership in a school system. The Teachers as Leaders program of the Mountain Brook, Alabama Schools represents that shift and is empowering teachers to utilize their leadership skills and contribute to the system as it fulfills its mission to offer education to its…

How successful will you be in guiding a new teacher's professional development? While your success will be influenced by how you and your mentee conceptualize teaching, learning, and the nature of science, research indicates that your success is also highly dependent on how you and your mentee conceptualize mentoring itself. This article describes…

People everywhere generally agree that the purpose of schools is "student learning." Further, people are generally in agreement that the most significant factor determining whether students learn well is "teaching quality." Teaching quality is improved through "continuous professional learning." Today, the most promising context for continuous…

This article reports on Association for Career and Technical Education's (ACTE's) annual convention to be held this year in Charlotte, North Carolina, from December 4-6. To provide the greatest benefits to attending educators, ACTE will again partner with several other associations at this year's convention. ACTE has lined up three speakers for…

Principals are the chief teachers of law in their schools. However, many principals would say that teaching law is not in their job description and that they do not need another responsibility, but intentional or not, most principals already teach law--in staff meetings; in teacher conferences; in informal conversations; and when they develop,…

Case studies of two coaches that examine the levels of engagement of each coach as they worked to establish effective coaching relationships were examined in this study. Data were collected during a seven-month period and included: (a) the coaches' reflective journals; (b) pre- and post-surveys from each coach and teacher; (c) audio-recorded…

The work of Lave and Wenger (1991; Wenger 1998) sets out a view of thinking about the development of professional expertise. In the case of novice teachers this considers them to be participating increasingly centrally in communities of fellow practitioners or "communities of practice". Lave and Wenger's view is that teachers, on joining schools,…

Background: The federal mandate for local wellness policies (LWP) provides an unprecedented opportunity to improve schools' practices that support student health, which, in turn, supports academic achievement. With a full agenda and budget challenges, districts need resources and support to turn policies into sustainable practices. The purpose of…