Determining how to increase practicing elementary teacher science instruction self-efficacy through ongoing professional development has been a problem in one urban Texas school district. Existing literature indicated science instruction self-efficacy could be built using professional development. However, there is a gap in the literature…

With consistent pressure and an elevated sense of accountability for student achievement, campus principals need to maximize their resources and focus their leadership on academic areas that achieve the most success from students. Leading instructional coaches to engage teachers in the activities that teachers and principals view as most impactful…

The current study identified the relationship between instructional coach usage and elementary teacher perceptions on an instructional coach evaluation instrument for one North Texas school district. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to evaluate the instructional coaching program in the participating district using instructional coach…

Teachers and school district administrators, particularly in the United States, are increasingly turning to teacher virtual professional development (VPD) to stay current and learn new pedagogical knowledge and skills. With more English learners (ELs) entering public school classrooms, it is essential to find effective ways to prepare educators to…

Just as accountability policies have led to increased levels of teacher data use, teachers have begun to increase the extent to which students track and analyse data about their own learning. Although some might argue that such "student-involved data use" (SIDU) might empower or motivate students to take charge of their own learning…

Federal initiatives and other research have led states across the nation to sharpen their focus on teacher evaluation in recent years. In 2009 a seminal report, "The Widget Effect," from The New Teacher Project revealed that in districts using a binary rating system to evaluate teachers, less than 1 percent of teachers received an…

This study focused on improving teaching through professional development. Identifying and designing teacher-based innovative professional development (integrating music into mathematics) resulted in an improved mathematical concept at Jaclyn Public School (a pseudonym). The target population for this action research study is drawn from an…

The Texas statewide assessment of academic skills in 1997 indicated that >55 % of the student population failed to master the mathematics objectives set by the test criteria and 42 % of the mathematics teachers at the secondary level in the East Texas region were categorized as underqualified to teach mathematics at that level. The issue of…

This bimonthly newsletter provides information about the progress of the Honor States Grant Program, a governor-led effort to improve college--and work-ready graduation rates. This issue explores efforts by governors and state policymakers to experiment with alternative compensation policies that can improve teacher quality. Compensation…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The "2011 State…

The concept of data-driven professional development is both straight-forward and sensible. Implementing this approach is another story, which is why many administrators are turning to sophisticated tools to help manage data collection and analysis. These tools allow educators to assess and correlate student outcomes, instructional methods, and…