The three authors of this article--a K-12 regional director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment responsible for orchestrating professional learning, a high school English teacher who participated in the professional learning, and an independent literacy consultant who supports four districts' professional learning--share their experiences…

Rather than merely dusting and polishing the old comfy stuff, these authors have spent 35 years trying to find out how people can learn to use new curriculums and ways of teaching. They have done some studies that would meet high standards of design, learned from peering at correlations, and stumbled on important things while teaching kids and…

In this article the authors describe a three-step instructional coaching cycle that can helps coaches become more effective. The article provides the steps and related components to: (1) Identify; (2) Learn; and (3) Improve. While the instructional coaching cycle is only one effective coaching program, coaches also need professional learning that…

Like any profession or talent, mastering teaching takes thousands of hours of deliberate practice (Ericsson, Prietula, & Cokely, 2007). Here, "deliberate" means having a coach or mentor to provide feedback on key skills and strategies for practicing to develop them. If this is true--that mastering the practices of great teaching…

What would happen if people found agreement around the world on what constitutes high-expertise teaching? For one thing, there would be a set of standards universally embraced that clearly defines core agreements about good teaching and learning. It would be obvious that proficiency in the knowledge, skills, and practices that comprise good…

Education policy in the province of Alberta is set by Alberta Education, a ministry led by the province's minister of education. There are two key policies or ministerial orders that guide professional learning in Alberta. The Teaching Quality Standard outlines the knowledge, skills, and attributes that teachers are expected to possess. The…

Never before has the need been so great for classroom teachers to become agents of change and position themselves as problem solvers at the school building level. Teachers are uniquely positioned to assume leadership roles on a variety of tasks that could transform schools from more traditional workplaces into professional learning communities.…

It is no longer news that the U.S. is becoming a more diverse nation and will someday have a nonwhite majority, with students from many language backgrounds. They will arrive at school with great skill disparities, and the nation's future will depend on how effectively schools and teachers respond. Professional learning for teachers will need to…

To increase student achievement, schools and districts are hiring teachers as leaders to support peers in improving teaching and learning. Their roles are variously called coach, school-based staff developer, instructional specialists, or program facilitator. Yet though many have exceptional teaching skills, they seldom have a deep understanding…

Describes Louisiana's Early Literacy Initiative, which helps PreK-3 teachers become change agents for improving literacy teaching and learning in their schools and districts. It begins with a summer training institute emphasizing new instructional perspectives, and follow-up ensures that teachers are implementing their new knowledge, skills, and…

The article describes a staff development program designed to enhance teachers' abilities to teach limited English proficient students. The program was based on a systematic needs assessment which identified five aspects of change (inhibitions, problem awareness, staff investment, program and resource assessment, and participants' concerns and…

In successful schools, teams of teachers meet regularly to examine student work through assessment and change their instructional practice accordingly to get better results. Staff developers should advocate simple but effective improvement mechanisms. The paper discusses what many improvement plans do wrong and recommends systematically reviewing…

This interview with Linda Darling-Hammond examines recommendations in the new national report, "What Matters Most: Teaching and America's Future," which focuses attention on improving teaching as a way to improve student achievement. The interview examines such issues as characteristics of good faculty development; the effect of national teaching…

Describes the problem with many professional development workshops and seminars intended to enhance teachers' understanding of how to educate diverse students, explaining that professional development which will make a difference for minority students must deepen teachers' knowledge of the curriculum, help them create effective lessons, and enable…

Coaching took a different form in this South Dakota school when teachers' own classes were the setting for their professional learning. Teachers had the chance to watch what others could do with their classes, as well as to be watched. The chance to observe led to greater reflection and self-generated change.