Financial and organizational problems in developing professional development schools are described. Structures and processes that allow these schools to contribute to the simultaneous reconstruction of the public schools in which teachers work and university programs in which teachers prepare are identified. (TJH)

Describes a partnership among English-education faculty members and secondary English teachers, arguing that a multisite, discipline-based professional-development faculty provides an alternative for secondary-level Professional Development School principles-in-action. The paper discusses reform, departmentalization of high school and college…

The past eight years have seen an unprecedented level of education policy activity focused on issues of teacher quality. Policies have been developed at federal, state, and institutional levels, and include increased institutional reporting of teacher candidates' test scores, the mandate for Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) in the No Child Left…

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is recognized by the U. S. Department of Education as the accrediting body for colleges and universities that prepare teachers and other professional personnel for work in elementary and secondary schools. Through its voluntary, peer review process, NCATE ensures that accredited…

This paper describes a 2-year investigation of pre-service teachers in mathematics. Of particular interest is the degree to which the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" (1988), the NCTM "Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics" (1991), and…

The National Education Goals were adopted by the nation's governors in 1990. The March 1994 enactment of the "Goals 2000: Educate America Act" made the National Education Goals federal policy and the guiding principles for a fundamental restructuring of the public education system. These goals have created a climate of education reform…

Among the provisions of the British Educational Reform Act of 1988 are arrangements for a national system of student assessment using nationally provided tests (SATs) in most subjects and formal teacher assessment to complement information from the externally provided assessment tasks. How teachers are reacting to these reforms was studied through…

An action research project underway at Marist Sisters' College (a secondary school) in Woolwich (New South Wales, Australia) is the first phase in the evolution of an across-the-school commitment to Cooperative Program Planning and Teaching (CPPT). Project goals include establishing an infrastructure to develop a dynamic methodology for CPPT in…

Urban school restructuring, although it can break down bureaucracy and empower teachers, can also seem distant from the day-to-day problems of most teachers, and even increase teacher burnout. Many of the following initiatives of the school restructuring movement may intensify a teacher's frustration: (1) school-based management may raise the…

This paper follows the development of and changes in relationships between university faculty and middle school staff involved in a Professional Development School (PDS) group. Discussion is based on two imaginary "snapshots" contrived from descriptions of the group at their first meeting and again at the year-end meeting. The snapshots reveal a…

In the spirit of education reform, this paper presents a literature review that provides a framework for discussing methods of teacher evaluation, their effectiveness in assessing what they purport to do, and the concern for better evaluation methods that can lead to improved teaching. The chief concerns addressed are what actually defines an…

Findings from a 3-year participant/observer documentation study are examined from the perspective of individuals (teachers, principals, college faculty) and from the perspective of developing the Professional Development School (PDS) as a learning community group. The study identifies four phases that individuals experienced during the three years…

Discusses the results of a study that examined the perceptions of elementary and secondary school teachers and of educational technology faculty and graduate students about five topic areas related to educational technology: instructional design, cooperative learning, learner control, school reform, and computers and media. (Author/LRW)

To create inclusive schools, all staff members must change the way they view education, including changing paradigms of teaching and learning, teacher support, and staff development practices. Five recommendations for helping schools become inclusive focus on staff development, shared beliefs, planning time, flexible scheduling, and innovative…

Educators from the Baltimore City Public Schools and the Houston Independent School District describe how they implement inclusion and the role of staff development in the process. The Baltimore district describes its consulting teacher model, which supports inclusion from the inside out. The Houston district offers strategies for districts…