For well over a decade, teachers have been recognized as the single most important school-level factor influencing student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2000; McCaffrey, Lockwood, Koretz, & Hamilton, 2003; Rivkin, Hanushek, & Kain, 2000; Rowan, Correnti & Miller, 2002; Wright, Horn, & Sanders, 1997). Tremendous public resources…

In the report "From Good to Great: Exemplary Teachers Share Perspectives on Increasing Teacher Effectiveness across the Career Continuum," (See full report in ERIC at ED555657) National and State Teachers of the Year shared their views on what helped them become great teachers. This accompanying "Discussion Starter Tool" builds…

Hiring new teachers and continuing their professional growth so that they remain in the profession and become effective teachers have been a challenge for decades. Research suggests that induction programs can achieve these outcomes if they are highly structured, include mentoring, focus on professional learning, and emphasize collaboration that…

Recognizing that clear standards and strong incentives alone are not sufficient to transform teaching, policymakers now discuss "capacity-building" strategies. An examination of capacity-building strategies in eight states is provided in this report. Capacity refers to the wherewithal needed to translate high standards and incentives…

Designed to serve as an introduction to instructional development for the teacher or graduate student who has not read extensively in the field, this chapter presents an operational definition of the instructional development process; explores the human dimensions of the process; provides graphic models of instructional development; and makes…

Recognizing the importance of collegiality in professional growth, this descriptive study examines one aspect of interaction among teachers--the information that teachers exchange about classroom teaching. Suggestions are offered for the development of collegiality and interview guide questions are presented in the appendix. (JS)

Describes recent research about the influence of teacher expectations on student achievement. Different types of teacher expectations and expectation effects are defined, and evidence for the existence of these effects is examined. Research on how teacher expectations are communicated to students is summarized, and the implications of this…

The Florida Online Reading Professional Development (FOR-PD) program is funded by the Florida Department of Education (DOE) and is housed at the University of Central Florida (UCF). FORPD is an online staff development project designed to help teachers improve reading instruction for learners in grades preK-12. Developed collaboratively with…

The factors that influence the formation and development of teacher perspectives among preservice social studies teachers were studied. Answers were sought to two questions: (1) what linkages exist between the development of teacher perspectives and the experiences provided by university teacher education?; and (2) what role does the individual…

Reports on a study of the impact of student evaluations of higher education economics instructors on faculty behavior and grades. Finds that initially grades increased but then declined over a nine-year period. Recommends further research on this issue. (CFR)

Teachers are a potentially helpful resource for abused children, but generally lack training in child abuse identification and intervention. Elementary and junior high school teachers (N=104) were surveyed concerning their abuse-related experience, knowledge and attitudes. Sixty-eight percent of the teachers reported 3 or fewer hours of education…

This paper considers the kinds of interventions that elementary school principals make for the purpose of improving practice in their schools. Findings are derived from the Principal-Teacher Interaction Study being conducted at the University of Texas at Austin, which has categorized interventions hierarchically at the following levels: policy,…

This study contends that there is a need for improvement of science education in the United States. It argues that although once a national priority, elementary science instruction now receives little emphasis in many schools. Consequently, many elementary students are deprived of an opportunity to build a sound science background for subsequent…

This study was designed to determine whether a summer institute for elementary teachers could reduce or eliminate obstacles to teaching science. During summer, 1986, 10 primary teachers (K-3) participated in a month-long training session designed to help them improve their background knowledge of light and shadows and develop, teach, and revise a…

Described is the key teacher strategy for inservice compared to an all teacher strategy, in which inservice is given directly to all the target teachers. Student achievement in both situations is considered. (KR)