Scottish teachers' job uncertainty results from school funding problems, trends toward part-time or temporary employment, labor mobility, and qualifications mismatch. Continuing professional development of teachers may help alleviate concerns over teaching standards in Scottish schools, but a more comprehensive review of the recruitment, training,…

Describes a professional-development model implemented by a university and five inner-city elementary schools with high language-minority populations. The model involved volunteer primary-grade teachers trained in an integrated/language arts approach, regular contact with participating teachers, and establishment of collegial teams to provide peer…

Author, consultant, and teacher educator Grant Wiggins recalls his own and his students' memorable learning experiences and discusses the impact of those experiences on his evolution as a teacher, the importance of the teacher/student relationship to student learning, and the likelihood that the student understands less of what the teacher says…

Discusses the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) for health professionals by open and distance learning, focusing on the experience of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). Describes the needs-analysis and pilot evaluation of a primarily text-based resource, reporting high satisfaction with content…

According to Annenburg Institute consultants, all education community members need the responsibility and authority to take appropriate leadership roles. Effective schools develop a shared vision, determine clear priorities, promote continuous professional learning, link schools to community assets, provide strong accountability, and reorganize…

Details the Collaborative Teacher Education Program (CTEP) at Indiana University, which offers Web-based continuing education courses to teachers in rural communities. Modes of delivery include videoconferencing, Web-based conferencing and instruction, and a completely Web-based course. Learner-centered instruction is promoted in three main areas:…

Training programs for principals are generally viewed to be inadequate. Various initiatives in Seattle (Washington) demonstrate that effective programs bridge the gap between theory and practice, use new kinds of delivery systems, incorporate field-based experience, and provide internships. The University of Washington's 4-day workshops give state…

A $500-billion industry, K-12 education offers attractive investment possibilities. Public education is being broadly criticized; state governments favor new program structures; the school-age population is growing; new technologies offer entrepreneurial opportunities; school revenues provide ready capital; and the knowledge industry is booming.…

Offers tips for conducting an inventory of job skills that are necessary for the chief school-business official. This self-examination is the first step in the four-step process of preparing, locating, landing, and settling into a new position. Two tables are included. (LMI)

Describes the effectiveness of censoring software, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program, virtual book reports, technology uses in language-arts instruction, the latest school-technology information, and strategies for dealing with kids who send threats on the Internet. (LMI)

A look inside a professional development school based in Fort Collins, Colorado, shows how an innovative, observation-and-feedback approach to teacher training is enhancing the teaching and learning experience of all participants--university faculty, high school faculty, and teacher candidates. Participants' strong commitment has arisen from the…

Examines how teacher educators introduced and modeled a language of possibility in an inquiry group to help prospective teachers acquire a secondary teacher discourse. Illustrates how the discourse supported the interns in finding ways to control their own professional learning and act on their emerging philosophies in the midst of powerful…

Examined the role of two parents who helped design and implement a field-based teacher-preparation program at one professional-development school. Interviews with participants led to four main themes that illuminated the stages parents experienced: excluding breeds suspicion, holding our ground, saying the same thing, and establishing a new…

Focuses on the design, development, and maintenance of Web-based resource sites developed for specific target audiences. The case study described is a site developed to support Web-based instruction in both corporate and educational settings; however the principles are also applicable for Web resource sites developed for many other content areas.…

Argues that the science methods course should be envisioned as the launching pad for a career-long process of professional development, a foundation for a successful student teaching experience, and the lynchpin of a teacher education program. (DDR)