Teaching observations are commonly used among educators to document and improve teaching effectiveness. Unfortunately, the necessary protocols and supporting infrastructure are not consistently available for faculty who teach online. This paper presents a brief literature review and reflective narratives of educators representing online education…

The future of faculty development rests, in part, on forming guided "communities of practice" to foster the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), which may enhance both scholarly productivity and pedagogical effectiveness. This article will discuss University of North Georgia's SoTL Academy, which bridges geographic and scheduling…

The nation's teacher education programs are not producing the quantity or quality of teachers needed, particularly in needed subjects. The only way to ensure a strong enough pipeline of effective teachers to ensure equitable access is to dramatically increase how states are preparing prospective educators. The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship…

The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook"…

Meaningful faculty professional development has been recognized through decades of research as an important component in effective classroom instruction. Too often, however, faculty development activities are offered by well-meaning administrators with little or no attention to faculty assessments of their own levels of competence. This study of…

The data received from a survey conducted in six Georgia school districts, partners in the Georgia Systemic Teacher Education Program (GSTEP) is examined and used to help create support and professional development for new teachers. The building of collaborative structures that offer new teachers the chance to interact with more experienced…

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…