This reflective article examines the relationship between teachers' engagement in action research and their ability to lead within their schools. As part of "The New Educator's" special issue, "Developing an Inquiry Stance toward Instructional Improvement: Teacher-Leader Action Research," this article demonstrates the…

In this article we draw from our year-long experience of assisting scholars who are new to publishing in transforming their work from a dissertation or conference paper to final production. We reflect on the importance of guiding, editing and prompting authors and offer advice on what we have learned about doing so.

The purpose of this study was to understand the ways virtual school teachers experienced professional development framed as a year-long collaborative action research endeavor. These virtual school teachers taught completely online courses for a large virtual school and did not reside within the same geographical location. Thus, the professional…

In this article the four coauthors share the process of moving a paper from a conference presentation to a manuscript that is acceptable for publication. The first two authors discuss the ways in which an experienced teacher educator mentored an emerging scholar through the submission process. The last two authors discuss the editors' role in…

Despite the profound impact of action research coaches on teachers' experiences of the inquiry process, little research exists in the field regarding the coach's role. In this exploratory study, two groups of action research coaches--one novice and one experienced--share their experiences of coaching inquiry during the 2009/10 school year. Out of…

People often respond to the pressure of attending a high school reunion or their child's wedding by going on a crash diet to get quick results. In response, friends may marvel about how good they look on the outside. But what folks don't acknowledge is that, in the name of getting results, crash dieters have done some very unhealthy things to…

This article presents a framework for establishing inquiry as a foundation of a teacher education program to help prospective and practicing teachers view inquiry not as a project but as a stance. Cochran-Smith and Lytle (2009) assert that "working from an inquiry stance involves a continual process of making current arrangements problematic,…

This paper summarizes practical strategies that qualitative researchers can employ to improve their interviewing skills. The first section, "The Art of Questioning: Wording Makes a Difference," presents several guidelines: (1) questions should be short and precise; (2) ask only one question at a time; (3) avoid questions in which the…

Having facilitated, read, and collected more than 200 teacher research pieces written by prospective and practicing teachers, the authors conducted a systematic analysis of the domains and contents of teachers' questions as they embarked on their first research study. Focusing on the questions teachers ask led to the generation of a typology of…

This how-to guide to classroom inquiry takes educators through the process step-by-step, from beginning to end, answering critical questions on developing the research plan, collecting and analyzing the data, and writing and publishing the results. Seven chapters include: (1) "Teacher Inquiry Defined" (e.g., what teacher inquiry is and how it…

Consistent with educational reform efforts, this study examines traditional roles of teacher educators, university researchers, and public school personnel and addresses the following questions: (1) What role can the university play as change is initiated within public schools? (2) In order to create a culture for change, how must the traditional…

Explores the evolution of inquiry into a Professional Development School (PDS) context. Teacher educators hoped to cultivate inquiry as a stance into the PDS culture. This required time for teachers to understand inquiry and embrace it as a powerful tool for reflective teaching and educational change. Mentor teachers gained space to understand…

Focusing on the emerging nature of teacher voice in educational change, this ethnographic study examined the process of teacher-initiated change through collaborative research in an elementary school. Four elementary school teachers, their principal, and a university professor were involved in the research. Qualitative data was collected through…

A researcher and four elementary teachers conducted collaborative action research to explore, implement, and document practitioner initiated change. The article highlights the political nature of action research linked with reform, noting that peers and principals can silence teachers' voices. Collaborative action research groups may provide…

This study was conducted to explore the process of teacher and principal change initiated by elementary school teachers who wished to replace the school's culture of isolation and seclusion with a culture of collegiality and caring. Their vision of change and the change process itself was intertwined with the development of a sense of teacher…