This is the third special issue of "Primary Science," and it is one that offers primary school teachers an insight into an initiative that does wonders for primary science leadership, learning, and teaching -- the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM). In this article, Claire Burchell explains how the PSQM enabled her to make the…

The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning (CFTL) at WestEd led the Teacher Practice Networks (TPN) initiative for five years, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Initial rounds of Gates funding supported 21 education improvement organizations in disseminating standards-based resources around the nation. Later rounds…

NGSS Early Implementers is a six-year initiative created to help eight California school districts and two charter management organizations, supported by WestEd's K-12 Alliance, implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The Initiative has used a train-the-trainer model to maximize spread of professional learning about the NGSS in…

This basic interpretive study explored teacher and principal perceptions of reform and accountability and how these perceptions influenced leadership for school-based teacher development and learning. Complexity leadership theory served as the theoretical lens for the study and provided a holistic view of how reform and accountability served as…

A coalition of districts and schools serving high-need students in Louisiana are partnering with the nonprofit National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) to increase equitable access to effective educators for students in high-poverty schools. Through a five-year 2016 federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant, called the LA BOLD (Building On…

This paper presents recommendations for faculty mentors interested in conducting a study abroad program in the social sciences. The recommendations discussed in this paper aim to support faculty in pre-departure planning, during the study abroad experience, and after the study abroad experience concludes. The strategies presented in this paper aim…

Achieving the ongoing professional development of teachers is of international concern. Professional development communities (PDCs), also known as professional learning communities, developed as a means of attaining this goal. In 2015, Israel began to implement a teacher development program called Hashkafa that consists of school-based PDCs whose…

In this chapter, the challenges and controversies of faculty advising are addressed in a panel-discussion format, from the various lenses of academic leadership, faculty, and faculty development. The panel discusses issues of workload, promotion and tenure, and accountability related to academic advising roles and responsibilities.

How can teachers move from working in isolation within ineffective systems to building thriving, collaborative teaching environments in which they are supported and inspired to work with their colleagues in communities focused on mutual professional growth? In the authors' work as early learning instructional coaches, they have witnessed the ways…

Providing teachers with data-driven feedback, aligned professional development and opportunities for advancement may help limit attrition, contribute to more effective teaching, and improve student learning. However, research shows that much of the professional development teachers currently receive does not improve either teacher or student…

The current mixed method study examined a Teacher Leadership Program (TLP) to determine to what extent participating teachers had changes in content knowledge (CK), practices, leadership skills, and leadership knowledge. The purpose was to determine if this program could be utilized to suggest a sustainable model for improving science education by…

Practitioner inquiry is an alternative form of professional learning that can result in significant changes in teacher practice and student learning. We share our evolution as teacher learners within our classrooms and teacher leaders within our school as we progressed through 10 years of continuous cycles of practitioner inquiry. Beginning as…

This dissertation reports on how one school community engaged in a professional development grant initiative that incorporated teacher leadership. Teacher leaders may have numerous roles and responsibilities that support the professional learning and instructional practices of school communities. This study examined the experiences of three…

When Superintendent Dennis Vespe came to Somerdale Park School District, he was very interested in strengthening teachers' capacity to track student growth and progress. To do this, he knew the district needed to enhance its "ability to accurately assess and accurately drive instruction." But years of experience had taught him that new…

The heightened level of attention being afforded to "teacher leadership" is palpable in the United States. At a national level, proprietary organizations are receiving funds from large philanthropic organizations (e.g., the Gates and the Wallace Foundations) to promote the development of teacher leaders. State departments of education…