Examines the role of research in teacher education, emphasizing the value of internal evaluation of teacher education programs and processes. After discussing teacher role, the paper examines the significance of knowledge (including knowledge yielded by research) in relation to teacher education trends and suggests ways to involve students in…

Presents a model for educational change based on the assumption that education requires personal transformation and improved collegial relationships. There are two realities about educational change: many aspects of classroom operation are under teacher control, and teachers have feelings about what they do. The article makes recommendations for…

Discusses changes made in instructional strategies by an experienced teacher as a result of participation in an inservice training program. Compares two instructional approaches to the same geography lesson. Concludes that the inquiry approach provides more opportunities for students to apply intellectual skills than expository instruction. (CFR)

A small group of teachers at one Illinois high school is helping to effect and promote change. Through the Action Research Laboratory (ARL), teams of teachers conduct collaborative action research to improve classroom practices. Data from the first two years of the ARL indicate that teachers are eager to participate in, and have thrived in, their…

Educational reform networks are well-suited to utilizing new technology and institutional arrangements. They are flexible and innovative and can create collaborative environments and develop agendas that grow and change with their participants. Teacher educators participating in these learning networks help recreate the meaning of scholarship…

Reviews an important period in teacher education's history sponsored by the American Council on Education's Commission on Teacher Education (1939-42), highlighting lessons learned about reform, which confirm the value of recent work in teacher education that maximizes participation, builds school-university partnerships, and forms student cohorts…

Disputes the reform agenda of the 1996 conference of the nation's governors in Palisades, New York that focused on high-quality academics, specifically on standards and assessment as the means for change. Believes that by building human capital and promoting teacher learning, a more significant and worthwhile change will occur in the schools. (CMK)

As qualified teachers are central to children receiving a high-quality preschool education, many policy initiatives aimed at improving program quality are thwarted when insufficient attention is paid to the professional development of the workforce. One response to this issue has been to create teacher leadership roles so that teachers mentor…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) The "Data Wise" Improvement Process: Eight Steps for Using Test Data to Improve Teaching and Learning (Kathryn Parker Boudett, Elizabeth A. City,…

This paper presents a case study of the experiences under the Indonesian Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Project (IMSTEP) concerning in-service teacher training through the practice of lesson study collaboratively conducted by schools and universities. The purpose of the case study is two-fold: first, to examine the changes in teaching…

This paper assesses how French and English elementary school teachers have responded to broad, radical educational policy changes affecting individual teachers and schools. The paper uses findings from two linked studies, the Primary Assessment Curriculum and Experience (PACE) project in England and the Primary Teachers and Policy Change (STEP)…

This paper examines 23 induction programs, 11 conducted and reported between 1967-1977 and 12 conducted and reported since the onset of the 1980s educational reform movement. Earlier reviewers of pre-1980 (Zeichner, 1979) and post-1980 (Huling-Austin, 1988) induction programs differ in their beliefs about whether or not research data support the…

To address how and why to do research in the classroom as a teacher, this book of essays by teacher researchers prefaces each of its four sections with interviews with Cindy Myers, Ken Jones, Patricia Reed and Betty Bailey respectively. Titles and authors are as follows: "Addressing the Problem of Elsewhereness: A Case for Action Research in…

An observational study was conducted of a third grade teacher as she changed her classroom practices to reflect the changes in her theory of writing instruction which were prompted by a graduate course. One of the three researchers was primarily responsible for observing the class on a regular basis during the scheduled writing time. A second…

This catalogue discusses major Minnesota proposals over the past two years (through the end of the 1985 legislative session) for improving the quality of K-12 public education in the state. Following a 10-page summary is a legislative update which provides a picture of education reform as enacted by the state legislation, and connects some of the…