Have you participated in professional development (PD) programs that never met your expectations? Have you found it difficult to find a program that fits well with your academic and pedagogical needs? If so, the author shares your sentiment. In this article, he describes three lessons learned while developing and conducting a PD partnership…

Defined as "any systemic inquiry conducted by teachers... for the purpose of gathering information about how their particular schools operate, how they teach, and how their students learn" (Mertler, 2009), "action research" is empowering and professional research done by teachers to inform and improves their own practices. Although there are many…

This case study examined the experiences of two middle level teachers as they worked with a literacy coach and university partners in an instructional improvement initiative. Robert and Janice worked together as a two-teacher team. Across the three years of the study, they collaborated with Melissa, the literacy coach, to integrate reading and…

The U. S. is losing its competitive edge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Thomas Friedman warns that America is not producing enough young people in STEM fields that are essential for entrepreneurship and innovation in the 21st century (The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, 2005). Blue ribbon…

This brief report summarizes a monograph of the same title. Evidence of increasing interest in high school-college partnerships is presented. Among the reasons cited for renewed interest are: changing student population, students' frequent lack of skills preparedness, and the awareness of a need for new models of inservice staff development for…

In this paper I discuss the impact that both conceptual and contextual problems have in inhibiting teachers' disposition towards capacity for development. These problems were highlighted from teachers' participation with a teacher educator in a collaborative culture of learning and within their schools? culture. They were challenged, supported and…

Recounts the experiences of a group of K-12 social science educators attending the University of California, San Diego's Summer Institute. The Institute gathers K-12 educators and university professors for lectures, lessons, and interactive projects. The sessions focused on recovering unheard voices and perspectives from history. (MJP)

Fort Mill (S.C.) Elementary School developed a partnership with Winthrop University to help teachers improve how they taught writing after finding many teachers had never completed a college-level writing course and most felt they weren't very knowledgeable about assessing student writing. The results are improved student learning and professional…

Contends that providing continuing education for secondary school psychology teachers may be more important to the improvement of high school psychology than changes in teacher preparation and certification. Describes the efforts of one university department to work with secondary psychology teachers. (CFR)

This collection of papers focuses on what is known and practiced in professional development. Part 1, "The Purposes of Professional Development," includes (1) "Educational Purposes and Teacher Development" (Maxine Greene); (2) "Going Public: The Imperative of Public Education in the 21st Century" (Carl D. Glickman and…

This paper describes one professor's sabbatical leave, when he returned to a third/fourth grade classroom as a teacher. It examines logistical arrangements necessary for success and insights gained. He worked in a Professional Development School (PDS) for 1 year, mentoring a PDS intern, 2 student teachers in the traditional preservice program, and…

This study, part of a 3-year project designed to determine specifically and in-depth the reading, writing, and verbal demands made of students in university-level academic courses, college students by examining academic literacy requirements and involving the cooperative efforts of high school and university faculty members. This paper discusses…

Developing substantial links between colleges and elementary, middle, and secondary schools to create a sensible, longitudinal process for developing writing skills can be mutually beneficial. Contacts with schools are easy to make. College composition teachers can contact high school teachers to bring their "college prep" classes for an…

This book examines the nature of teacher professionalism, the continuing professional development of teachers, and the contexts in which this occurs. Using a range of international research and development work, the book discusses how personal and professional contexts promote and inhibit improvement in teaching. It examines the effects of school…

This paper describes an inservice project designed by The Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore City Public School System to help teachers acquire the skills necessary to effectively integrate computer technology into science instruction. From 1986 to 1988 the project was implemented in the large urban Baltimore school system with 100…