This article reports on the professional benefits of using Critical Friends Group discussion protocols within a Collaborative Action Research project facilitated by two teacher-educators with four junior secondary school teachers in New Zealand. The teachers were encouraged to conduct Action Research projects on topics of their own choice.…

Why don't most well-meaning efforts to improve teaching and grow key teachers' capacity to act as instructional leaders show success? Kenneth Baum and David Krulwich think they know why: While we set up "collaborative" procedures and meetings in which teachers work together to explore effective instruction--critical friends groups, data…

Capstone projects serve as the centerpiece for an assessment system that values problem-solving and frames assessment as learning opportunities for students and teachers. Every January and May for one week, Chelsea High School, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, breaks from their traditional, four- periods-a-day bell schedule and the fast pace of a…

Collective efficacy refers to the shared perceptions of educators that, through their combined efforts, they can "organize and execute the courses of action required to have a positive effect on students" (Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2004, p. 4). Tschannen-Moran and Barr (2004) expand on this definition, describing collective efficacy as…

The 2018 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results revealed a negative correlation between student academic achievement and wellbeing, indicating that higher academic performance often coincides with lower student well-being. In response to these findings and the…

There is an increasing need for equitable instructional practices that support diverse student populations. Equitable and inclusive teaching involves cultivating awareness of the dynamics that shape classroom experiences and impact learning. It requires an honest review of structures and supports in place and a commitment to being responsive to…

Regular education teachers and special educators shouldn't view their jobs as mutually exclusive, writes Jeffrey Benson in this article. He argues that all students benefit when both teachers form collaborative partnerships. Drawing on his four decades of experience in schools, Benson details how regular education teachers can incorporate ideas…

Generally speaking, whenever teachers are mentioned, so too are teachers' unions. However, that is not the case in "right-to-work" states. Teachers in North Carolina, for example, do not have a collective voice to represent them in local or state political arenas, where politicians are usually not well versed in educational practices. As…

Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic pivot to remote learning made school harder for students with disabilities and their teachers. A series of interviews was conducted with special education administrators, school administrators, special educators, general educators, parents, and teachers, in order to learn more about each individual's…

This paper explores the integration of interdisciplinary, standards-based making in elementary classrooms through an investigation of teachers' navigation of contradictions between traditional academic practices and the playful, imaginative, and collaborative design thinking that characterizes making. Empirical findings are reported from a…

A concern about grammar and usage instruction is the ineffectiveness of the frequently-used practice of worksheets and out-of-context application. In light of recent findings that applied grammar instruction can improve students' writing, a need for research on increasing teachers' pedagogical knowledge in this area is indicated. This case study…

Research suggests that academically gifted students are often underserved when it comes to the school setting. Academically gifted students require specialized instruction to challenge them. Several successful strategies exist for creating an educational environment that appropriately challenges and helps these students achieve academic growth;…

Induction is designed to support teachers' effectiveness, improve their students' learning, and foster their retention. We consider how high-leverage practices (HLPs) might provide an instructional framework for special education teacher (SET) induction. With sensemaking theory as a conceptual foundation, we posit that, by structuring induction…

In this article, Dominic Griffiths reflects upon the current cultural gap between those who locate themselves as working "on the inside" of the world of "special educational needs" and the "inclusion movement" and those who might be described as "mainstream classroom teachers". Griffiths warns of the dangers…

Guiding student growth minute-by-minute--aka classroom formative assessment--has a track record of boosting student and teacher engagement. Discover concrete ways leaders can support this high-impact instructional practice throughout your school or district. Learn: (1) how to clarify who owns the learning and who is responsible for the learning…