The requisite knowledge and skills of principals are in a constant state of flux. Principal preparation programs need to proactively create systems and structures for continuous improvement and create pathways for information-sharing in order to remain responsive to the needs of local districts. James Coviello, Joan I. Birringer-Haig, and…

While the demands of teaching continue to escalate, teacher development has changed relatively little over time, leaving many of today's teachers feeling underprepared, overwhelmed, or demoralized with few opportunities to make real change. Teacher leadership holds promise for both addressing challenges within schools and empowering teachers.…

Recent years have seen a rapid expansion of efforts to promote social and emotional learning (SEL) in the nation's schools. As some observers have pointed out, though, the growth of the SEL movement poses some challenges. In particular, concerns have been raised about the need for clearer definitions of SEL, less hype, more attention to equity,…

Teachers are dedicated, wise, and thoughtful change agents who need more time to identify problems they see in their schools or classrooms and work individually and collectively on solutions. They need both more time for individual planning and time to collaborate with colleagues who teach the same grades or the same subjects. A productive day of…

To ensure that schools enjoy a steady supply of competent and committed teachers, federal, state, and local policymakers should look to the extensive research literature in this area, focusing on five strategies in particular: strengthening teacher preparation, improving hiring practices, increasing compensation, providing support for new…

In the past decade, research-practice partnerships (RPPs) have grown in number and reputation. Stephanie Brown and Annie Allen describe the varied ways partnerships facilitate more sustained and productive relationships between researchers and practitioners. They share key findings from a comparative case study of three different types of RPPs…

Teaching is complex; teachers and school leaders crave more meaningful collaborative experiences to make sense of that complexity. However, the structural, cultural, and historical factors involved with schooling impede the extent to which teachers can collaborate. Teachers spend five to six periods of the day teaching classes, largely working in…

Considering the key role of social-emotional and character development (SECD) competencies in college, career, and life success--and considering that many of those competencies are teachable--there is no excuse for failing to incorporate them systematically into our education system. That would be the equivalent of depriving children of oxygen.…

In the last decade, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has mandated proficiency requirements for teacher candidates at nationally recognized universities and published a position statement recommending teachers use 90% or more of the world language during instruction. The author explains reform is more successful…

A public, Catholic, and charter school in Boston all work together to share their strengths and learn from each other in an effort to deliver the best education for all of their students. The arrangement is called the School Performance Partnership, and it is a grantee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

School districts on the leading edge of the Birth through Third Grade movement have demonstrated unprecedented success raising the achievement of low-income students by developing coherent strategies focused on the early years of learning and development. These communities are not merely improving preschool. Rather, they are building aligned,…

Despite the norms of privacy that pervade teacher culture and the assumptions of behind-closed-doors independence, teachers actually "need" their colleagues, whether they like it--and them--or not. Teachers are inherently dependent on one another since no one of them alone constitutes their students' education. Students move from teacher to…

A survey of 102 teachers in grades K-12 concerning what they find valuable in inservice programs revealed that teachers felt they benefitted most from self-chosen, informal, participatory activities. The findings indicate that effective inservice programs should involve teachers in all stages and should foster collegial sharing of ideas.…

Recent surveys of teachers and principals regarding their perceptions of professional development needs and preferred modes of delivery for inservice teacher education revealed similarities and discrepancies between the two groups. The findings indicated that joint development of inservice programs would be beneficial. (Author/WD)

This article, presents a discussion about Connecticut Superintendents' Network. Established and facilitated by the Connecticut Center for School Change, a school reform organization, the Network is grounded in a theory of action concerning professional development for administrators. The Network's goals are: (1) to develop superintendents'…