Professional development is the cornerstone of school transformation. The first part of this two-part paper describes the professional development experiences of several hundred teachers and administrators in schools implementing New American Schools (NAS) designs and discusses the links between these professional development experiences and key…

The National Association of State Directors of Special Education has established the Professional Development Leadership Academy to assist states in meeting state improvement plan requirements of the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Professional development is crucial to this endeavor and will be accomplished…

This book presents a theoretical basis for Professional Development Schools (PDSs) as well as practical guidance for establishing, funding, and evaluating them. It offers a comprehensive view of the role that PDSs play in today's educational renewal efforts and insights about the potential that a quality PDS can bring to learning at many levels.…

A successful Web-based training (WBT) system must be highly adaptable to already existing training procedures and software in a special environment. In corporate environments internal communication and collaboration is usually standardized throughout the company. The success of a WBT system therefore mainly depends on the ability of the system to…

This qualitative study of community college faculty, based on classroom observation and interviews of 257 instructors and 60 administrators at 32 community colleges across the country, was undertaken to explore what "teaching looks like in a teaching college." The researchers were especially interested in the collective nature of teaching: the…

The project described in this digest was designed with the belief that teacher professional growth can best be fostered through sustained collaborative inquiry between teachers and researchers. It set out to incorporate what is known about quality professional development with the special features necessary for meeting the needs of English…

The year 2000 volume of this annual publication contains 18 articles on issues relating to organizational change, collaboration and partnerships, and teaching and faculty development in higher education. The articles are: "Diversity and Its Discontents: Rays of Light in the Faculty Development Movement for Faculty of Color" (Edith A.…

This paper critically reflects upon the questions asked and the models and methods employed to evaluate online learning in several studies. These online studies range from setting up online networks for social interaction and facilitating collaborative learning experiences among graduate students in several universities, to moderating worldwide…

This paper reports the results of a 2-year study investigating the types of experiences and support necessary for in-service teachers to effectively integrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in their teaching/learning environments. The complex nature of GIS software prompted the authors to ask whether GIS can be a useful tool in the…

This paper defines and describes nontraditional Professional Development School (PDS) sites, atypical collaborations, and the responsibility of schools, colleges, and departments of education in selecting and developing those sites. The paper suggests that the influence of PDSs on both school reform and the preparation of educators is likely to be…

"Learning in an online world 2003-06" articulates national priorities for action by schools and associated organisations to develop pedagogies that integrate information and communication technologies (ICT). This paper focuses on ICT as an enabler of good pedagogy. It highlights issues for consideration when planning for integration of…

This document contains the results of a survey of state directors of special education on the status of strategies related to improving access for students with disabilities to the general education curriculum. This activity was undertaken as part of the cooperative agreement between Project Forum at the National Association of State Directors of…

Challenges the assumption that there is a student affairs profession. Presents a view acknowledging a variety of professions providing services and programs within divisions of student affairs. Offers a model that provides graduate and continuing education in core areas for those professionals. (Author/RC)

New directions for community based residential programs and changes that may occur during the 1980s are discussed. (Author/SEW)

Presents a rationale for the desirability and advantages of writing as a means for scholarly growth, service to the professional community, and learning from one's co-authors. Considers what, how, and when to write, interactions with the publisher, and the future of book-writing. (JM)