This article describes a case study in which Our Lady of Hungary Catholic School (OLH) principal Kevin Goralczyk and the parish's pastor, Reverend Kevin Bauman, faced educators' universal challenge: Knowing what students need to learn but wondering how to evaluate if they were really successfully taking in the information rather than simply…

In the Innovative Professional Development (iPD) Challenge, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in helping school districts and networks redesign their instructional support systems to better support educators in increasing student success. This Issue Focus, the second in a series, presents early reflections from MDRC's evaluation…

Research on teacher professional development is extensive but there are fewer studies about the practitioners who facilitate professional development. Here we report on a pilot programme for professional development facilitators rooted in a cycle of action research. Informed by a categorisation of professional knowledge and skills of facilitators,…

Educational stakeholders across the globe are demanding science education reform that attends simultaneously to culturally diverse students' needs and promotes academic excellence. Although professional development programs can foster science teachers' growth as culturally responsive educators, effective supports to this end are not well…

The future of faculty development rests, in part, on forming guided "communities of practice" to foster the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), which may enhance both scholarly productivity and pedagogical effectiveness. This article will discuss University of North Georgia's SoTL Academy, which bridges geographic and scheduling…

A demand exists to better prepare elementary teachers to improve math content and pedagogical competence to teach math to English language Learners (ELLs). The Quality Teachers for English Learners grant-supported teacher training program addresses the demand by examining if program graduates adopt linguistically and culturally responsive math…

As a new teacher, what will you do when you realize there is an aspect of your practice that you want to improve? Will you make a plea to your administration to attend an expensive workshop? Will you try to cram a class into your already jam-packed schedule? You may even try to hide your weakness and hope nobody notices. Is there another option to…

Teach First works in partnership with government, business organisations, higher education institutions (providers of Initial Teacher Training, ITT) and schools to offer a two-year integrated Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Leadership Development Programme; the first cohort of students were accepted in 2003. Its delivery of an integrated…

The pace of change in today's society means that there is an ongoing need for teachers to learn, have new knowledge and use new pedagogical approaches to meet the needs of their pupils. For many teachers, this requires redefining their identity as teachers and what "teaching" means in 21st century learning environments. These changes…

How can schools and districts leverage technology to create effective professional learning? At Learning Forward's 2012 Annual Conference, several sessions on innovative professional development, called iPD, highlighted the emerging work of districts, organizations, and companies focused on this issue. Presented in this article are excerpts from a…

Given the distinctive characteristics of Japanese mathematics lessons found by the international studies and the subsequent focus of the attention to Lesson Study in mathematics education community, the author discusses the relationships between the scientific studies and improvement of mathematics teaching and learning from an insider's…

The construction of university teaching faculty directly affects and restricts the long-term development of universities. Since the reform and opening up, China's university teaching faculty construction has realized marvelous achievements. However, in comparison with the higher education in developed countries, in China the construction of…

Poetry can enhance all content areas. This article shares highlights from the 2014 CLA Master Class focused on using poetry in math, science, social studies, the arts, and physical education/movement. Presenters and participants read poems, asked questions, and engaged in lively discussions about using poetry to enhance all content areas. Chair…

This paper presents the major findings and recommendations from a formative evaluation of the first of a 2-year in-service training program. This program was designed for the professional development of math teachers. It was developed following an educational reform, which was meant to enhance the teachers' ability to generate changes in their…

The challenges of teaching elementary mathematics and science, particularly in urban settings, have been well documented. While evidence exists that sustained professional development in mathematics and science can promote inquiry-oriented instruction and bolster student achievement, little has been written about the particular challenges…