This review of the literature discusses contemporary theories and models of action research that are being used by university faculty who are working with administrators and teachers to plan and conduct school-and classroom-based action research projects. The books that are reviewed provide educators with a variety of models for planning and…

The Illinois State Board of Education partnered with two outside groups, the National Computational Science Alliance (NCSA) and the North Central Regional Technology in Education Center (NCRTEC), to provide staff development, along with technological software, hardware, and support, to improve 6th graders' performance in the areas of mathematics,…

This paper positions action research within the wider field of teacher education, raising problematic issues inherent in the process of institutionalizing this form of teacher research. The paper also offers a self-study of the researcher's own practice. It considers teacher education in its broad sense as a continuum of ongoing professional…

This action research is targeted at academic researchers who facilitate the construction of communities of enquiry in school-university partnerships and are interested in understanding the process of such an enterprise as well as the knowledge constructed within such communities. Our action research study provides a possible road map for such a…

This paper describes a self-study by doctoral students serving as university mentors, supervisors, and researchers in a preservice teacher education program; and presents a second-order action analysis of this first-order action research. The action research reported focused on the teaching of action research, teacher education practices, and a…

Findings are reported from a study that investigated the influence of a two-year cooperative masters of education program as a vehicle for professional development and school renewal. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data from 25 experienced teachers based in 3 secondary and 2 elementary professional development…

This book presents nine studies conducted by teacher researchers who explore the oral and written discourse of learning communities--communities of students, communities of teachers, and communities in which students and teachers learn together. The studies focus on journal writing, conversation, story telling, geometry, computer technology, and…

This study is part of a large project on teacher research and professional development in progress in the Teacher Enhancement Program (TEP), a collaborative mid-career program between the University of New Mexico and local public schools. The objective of the study was to describe teachers' engagement in classroom inquiry and the transformative…

This paper describes the process of initiating collaborative inquiry projects at Indiana State University's (ISU) 10 professional development school (PDSs). It discusses what was learned and charts future directions and projected activities. ISU's Collaborative Inquiry Committee/Team (CIC) established a three-phase collaborative inquiry action…

An adult educator who teachers General Educational Development (GED) test preparation conducted an action research project to determine whether learning activities requiring students to learn about and discuss famous paintings would equip them with critical thinking skills that they could eventually use when completing the reading and writing…

The Greater Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Literacy Council (GPLC) is a volunteer-based literacy council that provides adult basic and literacy education services to the area's citizens. The GPLC conducted an action research project to determine whether adding monthly meetings for professional teaching staff and providing opportunities for interaction…

This study investigated the characteristics of instructional leaders that positively influenced classroom teaching, noting the personal and professional effects of leader-teacher interactions and whether staff development emerged as a primary theme of effective instructional leadership. A group of 809 teachers nationwide provided detailed…

Too many researchers have built careers on the quantitative/qualitative research debate. Social scientists have largely abandoned their responsibility for popular education, focusing primarily on schooling's limitations, rather than its potential for furthering social progress. Standard-setting is highly politicized; research is becoming too…

This article describes a school-university partnership that fosters teacher research within classrooms. The effects of teacher research in the implementation of inclusive practices are illustrated, with descriptions of four teacher research projects which examined: (1) inclusion of a child with emotional disturbances; (2) inclusion for literacy;…

Four teachers from diverse early childhood environments formed a teacher research group to learn more about children's language and literacy development. This article discusses the formation of the group, the value of teacher research for understanding children's language, and the lessons learned by the participating teachers that enhanced their…