Colleges that train schoolteachers are encouraged to stiffen their admissions and graduation requirements and give prospective teachers a bigger dose of the liberal arts. The report of the National Commission for Excellence in Teacher Education is discussed. (MLW)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain a better understanding of the obstacles and possible solutions for improving science education in Southern Mexico. It provides information about the challenges faced by teachers and school administrators, and possible alternatives for improving the quality of teaching after ten years of a…

This book presents a guide for educators who want to gain new ideas and a fresh perspective on staff development. It promotes individual and collective learning of all participants as they undertake formal staff development while enhancing the success and performance of the entire educational system. The 30 reflective exercises have been designed…

This book argues that the redefinition of teaching begins with teachers' developing a positive attitude about themselves as educators. The book offers suggestions to teachers on how to apply positive practices to themselves, move from passive to assertive communication, redefine their approach and build new beliefs, increase student…

This paper summarizes the major points in a workshop that focused specifically on the challenges of transforming the teacher education program at Idaho State University to a standards-driven, assessment-informed, collaborative model. The program goal was that prospective teachers develop the knowledge, dispositions, and skills deemed essential for…

This book examines transformational leadership and explores why such leadership can enhance the work of secondary-school leaders. It focuses on school leadership exercised in restructuring contexts. The text is divided into three parts: (1) the context for changing leadership; (2) transformational school leadership; and (3) beyond transformational…

This book joins instructional design as the axis of school reform with collaborative observation as the proven method to sustain teacher growth and renewal. The acronym COMPASS (Collaborative Observation for Monitoring Practices to Achieve Sustained School reform) is used. The book details a four-part observation process, each component of which…

Teachers, like athletes, are more likely to adopt new ways of doing their jobs if they are coached, and they are also likely to get worse before they get better. This article describes the coaching of teachers and includes an interview with a football coach to illustrate parallels with athletics. (PGD)

Results-driven education, systems thinking, and constructivism are producing profound changes in schools and the conception and implementation of staff development. The paradigm shift is essential for creating learning communities where teachers and administrators collaborate with peers, researchers, and students to make sense of the…

The article describes how Susan Derse, principal of a Seattle high school, works with her school to facilitate and encourage change, focusing on her approach to staff development. Ms. Derse uses a collaborative, participatory style of leadership that allows plenty of time for teachers to meet and work together. (SM)

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) humanities model in the Cambridge (Massachusetts) public schools has significantly affected curricular reform and teacher development. The endeavor is in its third year at the Pilot School, a program within the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. The article describes progressive reform experiences…

Paper describes the experiences of a Lithuanian-American teacher who traveled to Lithuania to conduct summer seminars for early childhood educators. Through the seminars, she not only taught the teachers about whole language, integrated curriculum, and cooperative learning, but she learned about the politics involved in educational reform in…

Strategies to help principals maintain the momentum of school improvement planning include: reexamining the teacher selection/induction process, ensuring constant faculty improvement, encouraging risk taking and celebrating successes, renewing the commitment to the consensus process, determining problems inhibiting achievement of goals,…

Discusses problems in American schools and suggests how performance technology could help with school reforms. An overview of school reform since 1983 is given, and components of recent school reform are discussed, including personnel selection; job and organization redesign, including decentralization of schools; evaluation/feedback programs for…

Brown University's Coalition of Essential Schools offers alternatives to traditional routines and practices. The article observes three Essential Schools teachers who have begun changing their classroom practices. Information is presented from an ongoing, three-year study of teacher change sponsored by the coalition. (SM)