These guidelines for staff development programs present four components to guide the purposes, distribution, content, and structure and organization of staff development for middle-grades educators. Claims that the guidelines, if implemented, could alter knowledge and practices of middle grades educators to improve early adolescents' learning and…

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;…

In this article we address the "highly qualified teacher" provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. We argue that the provisions' intent is important and achievable, and we outline critical research on the issue of which teacher qualifications matter for student learning. Three questions frame the discussion: Does…

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.)

A study investigated teachers' and staff developers' perceptions and assessment of the Whole Language Network (which assists teachers in using the whole language approach), the support provided to participants, changes in teaching and assessment practices, and the effects of such changes on student attitudes and achievement. A total of 164…

A teacher communication skills training program to improve instruction, Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement (TESA), is described in this report, with a focus on the effect of improved instructional communication competence on academic achievement. In particular, the advocates of TESA hope that communication skills training will have a…

The research described in this paper was designed to assess how evaluative data were used in instructional decision making in the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools. Using the Level of Use of an Innovation (LoU) interview, a component of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), along with data from the Portland Achievement Levels Test (PALT), the…

The purpose of this study was to ascertain if preservice elementary teachers could exhibit an increase in businesslike behavior in their classroom interactions with pupils without negatively affecting teacher warmth, after undergoing a training intervention focused specifically on businesslike behavior. Previous studies indicated a positive…

An experimental group of 53 senior high school business education students and a control group of 45 were used in a study to determine whether teachers trained to teach enthusiastically had a significant effect on vocational business education student achievement as measured by a cognitive test (Business Jargon multiple choice pre and post-tests).…

Key findings from the first Interim Report are highlighted in this executive summary, evaluating the extent to which the Partnership Program has improved teacher quality. The ultimate goal of the program is to improve student achievement by increasing the quality of teachers. Data were collected during the years 2001-2003, addressing the first 2…

This document deals with the topic of the charter-school movement. Anne Turnbaugh Lockwood's article focuses on selected, key aspects of papers commissioned by the Comprehensive Center-Region VI from experts in the charter-school movement. It discusses the potential for enhanced teaching and learning in charter schools, management issues that can…

This report focuses on how better teaching results in better student learning. It is the result of a Think Tank on Professional Development comprised of parents, educators, and business and community leaders that convened to improve education and teaching in Louisiana. Think Tank members determined that they wanted to help build the capacity for…

This report describes the professional development experiences of teachers in high-performing, high-needs (HPHN) schools. Researchers surveyed K-5 teachers from 10 schools in a district with large numbers of impoverished students, examining: teachers' perceptions of the characteristics and outcomes of their professional development experiences;…

Discusses a project using cooperative learning as a tool for building learning communities of minority teachers in Texas, describing academic achievement, self-esteem, social skills, and collaboration in relation to 50 teachers participating in the project. Cooperative learning and teacher empowerment brought teachers closer together in a short…

Provides synopses of eleven recent articles on school improvement. Addresses specific topics such as: teacher assessment, early childhood education curriculum, principals' leadership effectiveness, student self-esteem, the impact of school climate and the teacher on student achievement, the communication skills of educators, first-year teachers,…