Describes the experiences with collaborative partnership, of a novice elementary teacher who was teaching writing and a university researcher, arguing for the intentional collaboration of such partners as a form of staff development. The article lists benefits of collaborative inquiry and presents guidelines for developing collaborative…

In northern Quebec, "Satuigiarniq" is a project that gives Inuit community members a voice in reclaiming responsibility for their children's education. This paper explains how the project developed and improved over time, focusing on training of local leaders, development of community groups, and presentations to the Education Council.…

Presents strategies from six schools and two districts that won this year's U.S. Department of Education Model Professional Development Awards. Some of their strategies include teacher collaboration to plan professional development; teachers as leaders of learning for themselves and their peers; external partners providing expertise and resources;…

A three-step framework to help teachers examine and modify teaching practice based on data analysis includes: specify current levels of student performance, create action plans, and evaluate and communicate progress. A case study of a teacher who used the framework to pinpoint one student's writing problems, create change in practice, and assess…

If teachers are expected to change their teaching behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs, they need to be involved in interactive, sustained, job-embedded approaches to learning. Research shows how the brain works and what reinforcements it needs to retain information and translate that to practice.

What would a school look like if it were designed with teachers' needs in mind, a building created with the idea of fostering professional learning along with student learning? As more schools are being updated or replaced, the opportunity exists not only to ask the question, but also to make changes that foster teacher learning.

The Reading Success Network (RSN) is a model for improving literacy schoolwide through peer coaching, ongoing assessments of children's learning, using data to inform teaching, specific instructional strategies, and a support network of RSN schools. Federally funded regional centers across the country provide on-site professional learning for…

When you examine your assumptions about teaching and learning, you may find the barriers to greater achievement aren't what you thought they were. You can learn to be a better leader and understand how one individual can make a difference if you choose to recognize that change begins with you.

A Texas district shows what can be done when school-based staff developers work with teachers dedicated to improvement--student achievement improves in just one year. The author points out the factors that helped make it work and offers tips for traps to avoid. (Contains 10 charts.)

When teachers at Madison Elementary School in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin attended a class to examine test data, they started a change process that led the whole school to learn differently--from teachers to students. This article discusses on how whole-faculty study teams have created stronger professional connections and collaboration between teachers…

Job-embedded professional learning is a familiar concept in the Edenton-Chowan Public School System. In this article, the authors present D.F. Walker Elementary School in Edenton, North Carolina, a school where the entire staff focuses on continual learning, and teacher assistants engage in job-embedded, ongoing professional development to become…

Narrowing the achievement gap between students who are native English speakers and those learning English as a second language is one of the biggest challenges facing U.S. educators. This article discusses the approaches used by the Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Schools in narrowing this achievement gap. Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Schools has one of…

In a letter to a student with disabilities who is included in mainstream education, a school psychologist shares issues, concerns, and insights about their year together. The letter examines what this student taught school personnel and peers and explains that inclusion is nothing more than quality education for all students. (SM)

Texas has responded to its teacher shortage with a program for support and renewal. Its new teacher induction pilot is based on a set of performance standards that define expectations for beginning teachers. The pilot provides a support team of mentors, principals, and teacher educators that helps new teachers collect data and assess their skills…

A two-week staff development seminar in Japan enabled teachers and administrators to make a visible impact as staff development leaders. The program involved an orientation, the seminar, and subsequent intercultural programs in district schools. Immersing participants in another culture taught them to appreciate diversity within their own schools.…