Quality and Equity in Education draws attention to the importance of developing and testing theories of educational effectiveness and using these theories for improvement purposes. It makes a major contribution to knowledge and theory building in research on promoting quality and equity in education. The book presents an improved version of the…

For well over a decade, teachers have been recognized as the single most important school-level factor influencing student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2000; McCaffrey, Lockwood, Koretz, & Hamilton, 2003; Rivkin, Hanushek, & Kain, 2000; Rowan, Correnti & Miller, 2002; Wright, Horn, & Sanders, 1997). Tremendous public resources…

In the report "From Good to Great: Exemplary Teachers Share Perspectives on Increasing Teacher Effectiveness across the Career Continuum," (See full report in ERIC at ED555657) National and State Teachers of the Year shared their views on what helped them become great teachers. This accompanying "Discussion Starter Tool" builds…

More so than ever before, policymakers and the public believe the fate of American public education rests with teachers. Over the last 15 years, study after study points to the powerful effects of qualified teachers and quality teaching on student achievement. However, poor children and those of color are still far less likely to be taught by good…

The International Handbook of Teacher and School Development brings together a collection of research and evidence-based authoritative writings which focus on international teacher and school development. Drawing on research from 18 countries across 7 continents, the 40 chapters are grouped into 10 themes which represent key aspects of teacher and…

Recognizing that clear standards and strong incentives alone are not sufficient to transform teaching, policymakers now discuss "capacity-building" strategies. An examination of capacity-building strategies in eight states is provided in this report. Capacity refers to the wherewithal needed to translate high standards and incentives…

Criticizes reports on educational reform for possessing an ideological climate in which inquiry and dissent are quieted, and vocationalism (packaged as academic courses) is rampant. The reports compromise between influence and insight and neglect fundamental problems such as inability of schools to provide students with critical abilities needed…

This study was designed to determine whether a summer institute for elementary teachers could reduce or eliminate obstacles to teaching science. During summer, 1986, 10 primary teachers (K-3) participated in a month-long training session designed to help them improve their background knowledge of light and shadows and develop, teach, and revise a…

This book illustrates the experiences of elementary school teachers across one year's time as they participated in a teacher development seminar focused on mathematics, and as a result changed their beliefs, their knowledge, and their practices. It explores these experiences as a means of understanding the learning that takes a teacher from a more…

The Partners in Elementary Science (PIES) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is a model Teacher Enhancement project. Its goal was to develop and test a program to help elementary teachers strengthen their science teaching by addressing areas of need, specifically teachers' confidence in teaching inquiry science and helping teachers…

This study was commissioned by the State of Iowa to identify the current status and applicability of performance-based teacher compensation plans. After a review of the literature to establish the current status of merit pay and to identify districts throughout the United States that are presently using performance-based compensation plans, a…

This reports presents interview findings with education policymakers on various aspects of educational research. The sampling contained the following groups: superintendents and other local education officials; chief state school officers; state higher education executive officers; state legislators; governors' educational policy advisors;…

The purpose of this investigation was to search for new educational policies that would help renew and invigorate old ideas and concepts about inservice and professional development programs in the public schools. The methodology included both qualitative and quantitative functions. The key technique was an interview schedule with Likert-type…

A preliminary survey of 32 school districts identified as having highly developed teacher evaluation systems was followed by the selection of 4 case study districts (Salt Lake City, Utah; Lake Washington, Washington; Greenwich, Connecticut; and Toledo, Ohio) representing diverse teacher evaluation processes and organizational environments. Common…

A growing number of American students are nonnative English speakers. These students are vulnerable to early school exit and schools are facing more and more such students each year. Presently, about 56% of all public school teachers in the United States have at least one English language learner (ELL) student in their class, but less than 20% of…