This evaluation report describes a central professional learning strategy that the California NGSS Early Implementers Initiative used to help teachers effectively transition to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The Initiative's approach to lesson study, called a Teaching Learning Collaborative (TLC), brings together teams of teachers…

This guide grew out of material used in the Transformation Academy, a professional learning program for principals charged with achieving the rapid improvement of their school. The intent of that program is to help principals get started with transforming instruction -- the change that is at the heart of school improvement. Transforming…

Case studies of Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) in the Iowa project included four high schools that have been practicing this professional development model for the last five years. The schools, AHST Secondary School, Cedar Falls High School, Spencer High and Middle Schools and Valley High School were visited in April, 2011. The visits included…

This is the inspiring story of a group of teachers who used new technologies to document, analyze, and share an inquiry learning process together. The Supporting Knowledge Integration for Inquiry Practice (SKIIP) is an exciting new professional development model that brings together the strengths and benefits of several existing approaches:…

Research shows that professional learning can have a powerful effect on teacher skills and knowledge, and on how well students learn. To be effective, however, professional learning for teachers needs to be conducted in the ways that it is in many high achieving countries--continuously, collaboratively, and with a focus on teaching specific…

This book discusses the most current knowledge on whole- faculty study groups (WFSGs). Nine chapters examine: (1) "Introduction" (how WFSGs began and spread); (2) "Enabling Professional Development and Schoolwide Change" (guiding principles and questions); (3) "Key Components: Context, Process, and Content"; (4)…

This book explains how to use whole-faculty study groups to get the entire teaching staff working together on one set of organizational goals. Chapter 1 discusses the school reform environment and the potential of whole-faculty study groups to serve as a major change process for improving schools and student learning. Chapter 2 describes the…

"Transformational Professional Learning" is a periodically published e-newsletter designed to influence what educational leaders think, say, and do to improve teaching and learning by promoting deep understanding of important issues, the transformation of beliefs and assumptions, and a stream of powerful goal-focused actions. There are two…

The data received from a survey conducted in six Georgia school districts, partners in the Georgia Systemic Teacher Education Program (GSTEP) is examined and used to help create support and professional development for new teachers. The building of collaborative structures that offer new teachers the chance to interact with more experienced…

This book helps school administrators redesign the professional development model to better reflect the relevant issues and realities of today's schools. Using the metaphor of architecture, the book outlines innovative ways to create and implement such a transformation and highlights the rationale behind why these changes are so crucial. It also…

Six "silver bullets" that could raise student achievement are (1) set national standards;(2) make sure all students can read; (3) improve the quality of teaching; (4) demand from vendors better textbooks and teaching materials; (5) encourage charter schools; and (6) collaborate, coordinate, and redefine resources. (MLF)

This book joins instructional design as the axis of school reform with collaborative observation as the proven method to sustain teacher growth and renewal. The acronym COMPASS (Collaborative Observation for Monitoring Practices to Achieve Sustained School reform) is used. The book details a four-part observation process, each component of which…

This publication assembles the most current research on professional development and change for teachers looking to accelerate their professional growth and the improvement of student learning. Designed as a how-to resource, it reviews the stages of building an effective professional development system. The seven chapters are: (1) "Developing a…

This document, the seventh in a series on diversity in the classroom, offers strategies for general education teachers to help them provide an appropriate education to students with exceptional needs within the regular classroom. Section 1, "Introduction," examines definitions and the organization of the document. Section 2,…

Change is hard work, even when we are convinced it is worth the effort. Teachers are expected to change without clear explanations or evidence of how the changes will benefit them or their students. Meaningful change is most likely to occur when teachers' beliefs, feelings, and personality are taken into consideration. This book applies the latest…