Teachers at a Title I elementary school in South Carolina implemented the scripted Reading Mastery© program (RMP) to improve students' comprehension. Comprehension scores did not increase, despite teachers receiving RMP professional development (PD) prior to implementing the program. Administrators were unaware if the teachers were adequately…

This study examined (a) the main effects of professional development on the quality of postsecondary goals in employment and postsecondary education/training, (b) the main effects of student and teacher characteristics on goal quality, and (c) whether professional development moderated the relationship between the impact of these characteristics…

This study investigates how a teacher study group collectively examined problems in their current English curriculum and redesigned the curriculum into theme-based lessons for various grades. Comprised of seven elementary school teachers and a teacher educator, the teacher study group met bi-weekly for three hours for a total of eight meetings.…

The study proposes a way in which the learning and knowledge building (LKB) framework, which is consistent with the knowledge conversion phases proposed by Nonaka and Takeuchi, supports teachers' informal and self-directed workplace learning. An LKB framework in a socio-technical system was developed to support professional development in an…

This study explores transformations in the cultural identities of a group of pre-service teachers from mainland China during their educational experiences in Hong Kong, and how these transformations subsequently impact their professional identity. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 16 cross-border pre-service teachers from a…

The goal of this study was to examine whether the leadership style of principals affects teacher and student performance. The study includes an elementary, middle, and high school principal along with two teachers from each school who worked at schools that were in good standing from 2007-2011. Each school made adequate yearly progress (AYP) each…

As web applications play a vital role in our society, social media has emerged as an important tool in the creation and exchange of user-generated content and social interaction. The benefits of these services have entered in the educational areas to become new means by which scholars communicate, collaborate and teach. Social Media and the New…

Taking the perspective that leadership education is similar to art education created a bridge connecting the leadership education literature with the large and rich body of literature on art education and art history. A survey of the more prominent Renaissance art academies was employed to illuminate the education practices of that extraordinary…

This study examined the relationships between leadership practices of principals and strength of schools as sustainable professional learning communities. Strength of schools as professional learning communities was measured using the Professional Learning Communities Assessment; leadership practices were measured using the Leadership Practices…

The benefits of developing learning communities or communities of practice to optimize the learning experiences of education professionals has been well documented in the recent research literature. Less consideration has been made for the development of academic scholars. This essay considers an existing paradigm within the academy, the academic…

The present era is characterized by scientists' high level of mobility, which is due to the characteristics of science work and its dynamic nature. Scientific activity knows no boundaries, and mobility is a vital factor of the mutual cultural and professional enrichment of scientific communities. The international migration of scientists is…

Academics across the world face increasing pressure to publish. Research shows that writing retreats have helped by creating dedicated writing time and building collegiality. A new form of "structured" writing retreat was created to increase its impact by taking a community of practice approach. This paper reports on an evaluation, funded by the…

Since 2005 there has been an explosion of interest and debate about alternative futures for the doctorate in education. The authors take the debate from the abstract to the concrete by describing a signature pedagogy in doctoral education that combines theory, applied scholarship, and the wisdom of practice in new ways. They describe…

Using a naturalistic inquiry approach and thematic analysis, this paper outlines the findings of a research study that examined 12 Manitoba principals' conceptions of professional learning communities. The study found that these principals consider the development of professional learning communities to be a normative imperative within the…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the role of learning from participation in a group of work-based learners. Design/methodology/approach: This study relies on qualitative data obtained from a survey of perspectives of students on two work-based learning programmes. A group of 16 undergraduate and seven postgraduate students…