School systems across the country are working hard to fix broken teacher evaluation systems. This work offers the promise of regular, meaningful assessment of teacher performance. While this represents a significant advance, it is one part of a bigger picture: a teacher performance management system that links accountability, support, ongoing…

There is little agreement among school leaders on what constitutes quality teaching and how best to support teachers in improving lessons, assessments, and classroom instruction. This book will show how principals and other school leaders can "grow" the expertise of teachers to deliver high quality instruction that serves all students well. It…

Effective teachers are critical to raising achievement and closing long-standing gaps among student subgroups. Research on this point has become absolutely clear: Students who have three or four strong teachers in a row will soar academically, regardless of racial or economic background, while those who have a sequence of weak teachers will fall…

When, in late 2008, there was an opportunity to set up a government-sponsored project to help improve practical science, CLEAPSS jumped at the chance to become involved. Practical work is what CLEAPSS is about. CLEAPSS has been a lead co-ordinating partner in the Getting Practical programme, with Phil Bunyan taking on the role of Deputy Director.…

In a private room at the back of a busy restaurant just outside of Tampa, Florida, drinks and appetizers went unnoticed as 12 diners sat around one large table and engaged in multiple rapid-fire conversations about professional learning. On one side of each conversation were representatives of Memphis (Tennessee) City Schools. The district was in…

The author's most meaningful professional development (PD) experience was not a workshop or institute; nor did it result from a course or professional reading. Rather, it came in the form of Betsy--the second-grade teacher down the hall. This article describes the role of a mentor in professional development--and why everybody needs a Betsy!

Christel House, a public school charter approved through the office of the mayor of Indianapolis, was founded in 2002 and continues to be supported by the children's charity Christel House International. To support the high expectations asked of students, Christel House recognizes the importance of motivating students and providing a program that…

Beginning graduate students who are working in higher education can benefit from establishing a professional development plan designed to enhance leadership capacity. The challenge is to align personal goals with those of the graduate program, yet ensure that collegial socialization and professional competency development occurs. Professional…

If narrow, test-based evaluation of teachers is unfair, unreliable, and has negative effects on kids, classrooms, and curricula, what's a better approach? By demonizing teachers and unions, and sharply polarizing the education debate, the corporate reform movement has actually undermined serious efforts to improve teacher quality and evaluation.…

The main variable in classroom performance is not students. It's not parents. It's not the principal or the board of education. It is the teacher. Numerous studies confirm that the most important factor contributing to student success is the effectiveness of instruction. And though school quality is largely determined by teacher quality, that…

The relationship between scholarship in education and the practice of teaching and learning is complex, ambiguous, and doubtful. Still, there persists an underlying belief that the study of education might yield the basis for designing and implementing educational practices. What could be ways of approaching scholarship in education that might…

In this reflective piece, an adjunct instructor narrates her experience with institutional efforts to encourage faculty to become better instructors through exposure to and engagement in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Institutions of higher education can find it difficult to draw faculty out of their instructional status quo. Of…

The 1983 publication of "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform" (National Commission of Excellence in Education) "initiated the longest sustained period of attention to public education in the nation's history and ignited a new wave of interest in teacher preparation" (NRC, Committee on the Study of Teacher…

In the years since the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) focused on the success of Japanese students, much has been written about Japanese lesson study and its possible benefits for mathematics classrooms in America. Lesson study is a professional development process used in Japanese schools that brings teachers (and other…

How can school librarians know about other teachers' professional development experiences? School librarians need time to talk with fellow teachers about the wide range of issues and challenges present in schools. A collaborative mission gives precious time to create learning opportunities for students; but does it give enough time for reflective…