This paper introduces the concept of total teacher effectiveness for facilitating educational reform and improvement, using target oriented curriculum (TOC) change in Hong Kong as an example. TOC change is a complex process that involves preparing, changing, and reinforcing teachers in multiple domains at multiple levels. Teacher effectiveness…

This study examined teachers' experiences in the Washington state-mandated educational reform process, their pedagogical responses to the reform initiatives, and the way in which these were mediated by professional development activities such as those initiated by the Goals 2000 project. Five Washington teachers participated in this case study.…

The Southwest Educational Developmental Laboratory identified, located, and annotated references to inform the work of the Promoting Instructional Coherence Project, which investigates problems teachers face in their efforts to make their practice more coherent or meaningful for students. The references included in this annotated bibliography are…

This guide answers three basic questions on how to develop a professional community of learners: (1) What type of polices, structures, and procedures will help staff to connect with and learn from one another? (2) What incentives help schools to undertake community-wide learning? and (3) How can schools transform themselves into professional…

Recommends judging competence through demonstrated performance. (DS)

Outlines the need and merits of a sabbatical for teachers. (RK)

An interview with authors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey points the way to change by encouraging educators to challenge hidden assumptions and learn to recognize the immune system they develop that impedes their own progress. They suggest that leaders consider how organizational level barriers are effective expressions of commitment. An exercise to…

Discusses issues stimulated by Elizabeth Hatton's examination of teachers' work as "bricolage" in a prior article. Explores the connection between creative potential and pedagogic knowledge and the science of the abstract and the concrete. Presents potential reforms that could enhance teachers' capacity to gain pedagogic knowledge. (JS)

Presents a chronology of the growth of the National Staff Development Council from 1969-94. Some information is provided to offer a broader context about the world that surrounded the council at each particular time. Information is also included on council affiliates, staff and board members, annual conferences, publications, and awards. (SM)

Examines research about the effectiveness of professional development. Procedural guidelines drawn from research on individual and organizational change provide a framework for developing the optimal mix of professional development processes and technologies for specific contexts at particular points in time. The potential impact of implementing…

Examines the future of staff development, noting its inadequacy due to prevailing concepts of teaching. The article traces changes in concepts of teachers and their work, outlines implications of change for future staff development, and describes experiences of one school district in redefining staff development as suggested by conceptual change.…

This author discusses how some ideas from creative thinking can be applied to help an instructor change his teaching by adapting ideas from others, looking from new perspectives, using models, and inquiry. It is best to start small and be clear on what is actually happening in the class. (MLW)

Presents two perspectives on the nature of preservice TESOL teacher education. The management perspective limits professional development and promotes a status quo. The reflective perspective benefits everyone involved, allowing consideration of factors beyond the classroom. A pilot project at an Australian university is described. (SM)

Describes the Teacher Educator Institute, a program in the context of Jewish education that is designed to develop educational leaders as teacher educators, those who plan and provide professional development for classroom teachers. The program strives to develop a leadership cadre that is generally missing within the North American system of…