This document is a resource developed for educators trained in the Professional Learning Team (PLT) process by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). The PLT process is a research-based model for effective schoolwide professional development that results in teachers changing their instructional practices. This publication provides…

This manual is a guide to consultation and collaboration for educators of gifted children and is based on the Resource Consultation and Collaboration Program implemented at 10 schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, over 2 years. Individual chapters of the manual address the following topics: (1) overview of resource consultation and collaboration…

This book is designed to help school leaders critically examine what they should expect from students, how they will know when students have achieved those expectations, and how to design and implement instruction to ensure that every student achieves agreed-upon goals. It asserts that leaders are first and foremost teachers. Chapter 1, "Teaching…

Teaming is certainly being pointed to as a strategy to improve learning for at risk students. Whether teaming is actually effective at improving student achievement seems to have mixed findings. Some studies find no significant differences for reading, math, science, and social studies achievement, where others state "evidence abounds suggesting…

Providing time and guidance to students as they "sift and sort" background information on a potential inquiry topic is important at any level of investigation, from grade school to graduate school. As the inquiring student moves through new information, discusses ideas with teachers and peers and, most of all, has time to reflect on the initial…

Science notebooks are an everyday part of learning in the Tucson (AZ) Unified School District. Recently, K-8 schools there began using notebooks in conjunction with their kit-based science program. As part of the district's professional development team, the authors helped during the implementation at Miller Elementary, where teachers and students…

A survey study examined the perceptions of 484 kindergarten teachers in one midwestern state regarding language and literacy development, roles and responsibilities of speech-language pathologists (SLP), and teacher-delivered interventions in the classroom. Quantitative and qualitative findings from a 36-item survey revealed that the majority of…

This article draws from the professional literature of two distinct domains of research: computer-based electronic learning and professional development in education. The present paper addresses the recently recognized need for new conceptualizations of teaching in both fields. Questions and dilemmas pertaining to collaborative learning and…

Experienced English teachers can proactively help newcomers in their schools in different ways by relying on research and case studies that focus on the stated needs of new teachers. The efforts of a community of colleagues will serve to sustain newcomers so that they can gain confidence over time, refining their teaching proficiencies to…

According to this author, professional development in most school districts usually is not what teachers call worthwhile. Most is mandatory and tied to the latest literacy "fix," new district systems, text adoptions and occasionally, a speaker who has something new to share. She contends that meaningful professional development should be an…

In true David Letterman style, this article presents a Top Ten List for why and how it's important to get to know the beginning teacher next door or just down the hall and listen for call signals. What follows is the Top Ten List for becoming a mentor: (1) establish reciprocal collaboration through trust; (2) offer a shoulder of support; (3) share…

To compete and succeed in modern society, high school graduates need to be expert readers, writers, and communicators. Too many are not. Annually, hundreds of thousands of 12th graders on the threshold of graduating can barely read or write. Given the high stakes for these students and knowing a great deal about their literacy needs and the…

Considered a successful university-operated, urban middle school serving an overwhelmingly African American student body, "Charter" Middle School was dechartered suddenly, then merged a year later with students from a neighborhood school to become "Choice" Middle School, a school of choice in the urban district. Using a situated learning framework…

Program Improvement (PI) and School Assistance and Intervention Teams (SAIT) programs place rigorous, narrowly defined requirements upon monitored schools and districts, with corrective actions typically written as both school-level and district-level interventions. The requirements, known as the Essential Program Components, aim to enable schools…

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…