What would a school look like if it were designed with teachers' needs in mind, a building created with the idea of fostering professional learning along with student learning? As more schools are being updated or replaced, the opportunity exists not only to ask the question, but also to make changes that foster teacher learning.

The authors describe the journey they undertook integrating the arts into the summer institute. The central reason for their focus on the arts in the summer institute is the desire to support education reform--with a particular eye to social justice in schools. The authors believe that when the field is open wide enough to allow everyone's ideas…

At present, teachers' inservice training assumes an enormous importance in the realization of educational reforms in European countries. This paper describes several descriptive models for teacher training. Then, the development of inservice training is examined according to the "change paradigm" and the "problem-solving…

Using findings from qualitative research with teachers in one urban, public high school, the study argues that teachers need to be teacher centered in order to change their practices and work toward improvement for the benefit of themselves and their students. Teachers (N=9) in this study recognized that, in order to do their best for students,…

The paper describes how Concordia College (Minnesota) restructured its teacher education programs, beginning with secondary education, to develop a knowledge base for teacher education. Data from a survey of employers of first year graduates, from a survey of the graduates themselves, and from comments collected from students and the teachers…

This paper describes how teacher portfolios could be used to provide teachers with the opportunity to grow professionally in concert with other teachers and in ways that promote school, district, and professional student performance standards. An opening section discusses the lack of progress in developing effective teacher evaluation and…

The 1991 National Community Education Needs Assessment Survey focused on material and training needs. A more than 65 percent return rate on the open-ended survey indicated commitment and concern of community educators; 263 community education contacts completed the 4-page survey. The typical community educator who responded was the director of…

This paper was presented at a symposium bringing together persons with experience and expertise associated with organizational development in schools. The Improving Teaching Competencies Program at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory has been developing 15 sets of training materials to be used in organizational improvement strategies…

An essay on the future role of technology in education stresses three conclusions. First, changes in the teacher's work resulting from the growth of educational technology will be neither as dramatic nor as rapid as is commonly forecast in the literature. Second, many of the benefits alleged to accompany the advent of teaching machinery will…

Instructional supervision is regarded as a resource to be managed by teachers for the improvement of instruction. Major problems in research on teaching effectiveness--operational definition of teaching effectiveness; systematic description and observation of teaching behavior; and systematic modification of teaching behavior in specified…

This speech addresses the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and educators' and policymakers' reactions to it. The talk focuses on three ways people are responding to the Act. Some, according to the speaker, consider the law to be malevolent and a conspiracy by the Bush Administration to start handing education over to private corporations. This camp…

This document deals with the topic of the charter-school movement. Anne Turnbaugh Lockwood's article focuses on selected, key aspects of papers commissioned by the Comprehensive Center-Region VI from experts in the charter-school movement. It discusses the potential for enhanced teaching and learning in charter schools, management issues that can…

"Learning to Lead Together: The Promise and Challenge of Sharing Leadership" examines the dilemmas for school leaders and administrators, and the benefits for schools and students, when principals work with teachers (and their communities) to share leadership. Most schools function within existing hierarchical structures that contradict…

This report provides a brief overview of efforts to establish standards, assess those standards, hold schools and students accountable for meeting the standards, and provide interventions to students who do not meet the standards. It argues that holding students accountable for passing standards' assessments is premature, that teachers should be…

This report highlights key issues behind the public's desire for better teaching, following up on discussions by leading policymakers, educators, researchers, and communications experts about what role they can play in developing a quality teaching force. This diverse group met to describe key elements of quality teaching and to develop strategies…