Vocational and technical education programs continue to play a pivotal role in developing workers' occupational safety and health skills in all industries. The Agricultural Safety Education Initiative was first conducted in the summer of 2017 as a multi-year "Train the Trainer" program to improve teachers' tractor and machinery…

To address the question of how to develop the capacity for every instructional coach to provide job-embedded professional learning for every teacher and student, the Utah State Board of Education's quality instruction team designed and built a statewide 22 networked professional learning system that includes instructional coaches, local education…

As comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) professional development becomes increasingly available to current K-12 physical education teachers, this special feature shifts attention to the preparation of future PE teachers and teacher educators for CSPAP. The purpose of this concluding article is to summarize the undergraduate- and…

This article synthesizes the literature on what it means to teach mathematics and science to ELLs and abstract from it a set of knowledge and skills teachers might need to teach ELLs effectively. To this end, the article brings together the sociocultural and linguistic perspectives identifying three areas of effective teaching practice. One…

The Brigham Young University-Public School Partnership (BYU-PSP) has been serving K-12 public schools in Utah for 29 years. The Partnership includes five school districts, BYU's David O. McKay School of Education, and the seven arts and sciences colleges at BYU that participate in preparing teachers. This article describes the structure of the…

Building faculty or professional learning communities is an idea that has come of age. This article describes work being done within the Brigham Young University (BYU)-Public School Partnership to form and sustain such communities across higher and public education and in ways consistent with the four aims of the Agenda for Education in a…

Monthly meetings and a peer-observation program help novice teachers overcome isolation and practice new skills that support improved student learning. Peer observation is not without its difficulties. Above all else, the point of the program is to make teachers more comfortable observing, sharing instructional ideas, and learning from one…

In a professional development project, six teaching practices were posited as necessary for improving affective and cognitive outcomes for identified advanced readers. These practices were identification, organization for instruction, content, instructional strategies, continuous improvement assessment, and ambassadorship. Sixty-one teachers…

This study identified and prioritized the agricultural in-service needs of introductory level career and technical education teachers in Utah. The Utah State Board of Education requires that all seventh grade students complete an introductory career and technical education course as their first formal career exploration experience. One component…

Describes a training program for community education coordinators, elementary and secondary school principals, and members of the state education agency, to involve the public in education decision-making. (Author/MLF)

A 2-year school-based mathematics professional development program is described and evaluated after its first year of implementation. Included in this program as its first course was a unique methods course in elementary education involving both preservice students and inservice teachers who cooperatively studied and applied reform pedagogy. The…

Examines effectiveness of substitute-teacher training in 40 Utah school districts. Finds that 40 percent of districts provide more than 3 hours of training and that principals in these districts rated substitutes' overall performance significantly higher than did principals in districts that provide no training (25 percent) or less than 3 hours…

Describes a teacher mentoring program at Bear River Middle School in Utah, based on interviews with the principal, mentors, and new teachers. Discusses the program's formal and informal characteristics, needs addressed, and areas needing improvement. Asserts that mentoring constitutes an important part of the induction process for new teachers by…

The characteristics of one high school's effectiveness are summarized and the ingredients of its success outlined. Described as extremely important to the school are its commitment to educating students in democratic values and its attempt to practice the democratic ethos in governance, student activities, instruction, regulations, parent…

Pre- and post-test evaluations indicate the success of a consumer education program developed to provide elementary grade students with learning activities and consequent attitudes and values in buying. (CM)