The central purpose of curriculum, assessment, and teaching, especially in putting them together, is to improve children's and adult's learning. Examples of this came to the author via modern communication media and are being furthered through such technology. Soon after the publication of her book "Mind in the Making" (MITM) in 2010, the author…

Similar to many other advanced capitalist societies, Irish higher education policy is in the process of constructing a new role and identity for doctoral students which has at its core the desire to produce what have been referred to by the Irish Universities Association as "knowledge entrepreneurs". This conception of doctoral education…

This article explores the discursive work done by different notions of professional development in adult education. In particular we outline the ways in which the discourses of technical expertise, competence and reflective practice are deployed to mobilise professional practices and identities in particular ways and position certain practices and…

This school year, and likely the next, unprecedented numbers of teachers and school librarians have and will be furloughed or demoted. These unpaid leaves of absence can be temporary and scheduled to reflect only a few days out of the academic year, or they can be in effect for the entire school year. State regulations and laws, in conjunction…

The diffusion of innovation is critical to societal progression. In the field of education, such diffusion takes on added significance because of the many stakeholders and accountabilities involved. This article presents the argument that efforts at diffusion which are designed from a top-down perspective are not sustainable over the long term…

What percentage of their budgets should schools and districts invest in professional learning? To answer that question, schools and districts must first know how much they are spending on professional learning and be able to connect that spending to student achievement. Knowing what is invested in professional learning requires understanding the…

Designing quality continuing professional development (CPD) for those teaching mathematics in primary schools is a challenge. If the CPD is to be built on the scaffold of five big ideas in mathematics, what might be these five big ideas? Might it just be a case of, if you tell me your five big ideas, then I'll tell you mine? Here, there is…

When the author entered the profession in 1978, the phrase "enrollment management" was non-existent. One worked for admissions, financial aid, student accounts, or registration and records, and each department worked independently from the others. Most professionals specialized in one area (e.g., admissions) and then spent their entire career in…

Due to budget restrictions over recent years, the state of Ohio has limited the number of face-to-face state consultant implemented professional development seminars for educators to attend. In order to meet the professional development demands of Ohio family and consumer sciences (FCS) teachers, the Ohio Department of Education FCS consultant…

Context: Professional socialization is a key process in the professional development of athletic training students. The published athletic training education research has focused on many perspectives regarding socialization; however, it has yet to investigate the program director's (PD's) opinion. Objective: To gain insights from the PD on methods…

This paper examines the frequency and nature of outdoor learning provision in Scottish schools, with specific attention paid to teachers' approaches to learning outdoors, and it considers what further support and professional development teachers need to progress their practice. This enquiry is timely as limited data has been gathered over the…

After a brief review of some milestones in the story of how schools contribute to inequalities in student achievement, more recent work on how experience of collaboration between schools can help to narrow the gap is shown to underpin the new concept of a self-improving school system. The main focus is then on the principal features of a…

Denver Public Schools, one of 14 districts that receive funding from The Wallace Foundation to improve principal effectiveness, is also one of a number of districts around the country emphasizing the development of principals' managers in the central office. The principal's job has changed over the last decade, going from a role that revolved…

This article discusses the lingering problem of poor and inappropriate preparation of professional teachers of reading and learning disabilities--why it exists and what we can do about it. Because most students classified as having learning disabilities experience primary difficulties with language-based learning, teachers must know how to teach…

This paper introduces a leadership development model that raises the question "Leadership for what?" Leadership is about going somewhere-personally and in concert with others-in an organization. Although leadership, especially position (elected or appointed) leadership, often is discussed in terms of leader qualities and skills, the…