Continuous professional development (PD) fuels teacher growth, fostering engaging classrooms and brighter futures for students. This Spotlight will help readers investigate the ins and outs of effective PD; uncover the types of PD that teachers want; learn how PD can help teachers better support English learners; evaluate the debate around hybrid…

Teacher retention continues to be a concern in public education. The concerns related to this negative trend were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and schools and school districts are finding themselves in a precarious position. Many states and local school districts are creatively utilizing alternative certification methods to increase the…

The MyTeaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S) coaching program for middle and high school teachers builds on research studies about effective coaching that have shown positive effects on teacher and student outcomes. For the past five years, Learning Forward has engaged in a project led by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to better understand…

Teacher technology professional development (PD) is seen as an important component of meeting the vision for technology use in schools. This study continues Lawless and Pellegrino's (2007) work by examining which characteristics of teacher technology PD were associated with growth in teachers' technology practices and student outcomes. The…

The goal of the Maximize Program is to collaborate with educators to develop resources and procedures to facilitate teachers' use of equity-focused behavioral supports. In this study, we describe teachers' responses to the first iteration of the interactive Maximize Technology Platform. Ninety elementary school teachers from three schools were…

This qualitative study examines the influence of a 3-year professional development project for middle school mathematics, science, and special education teachers focused on integrating science, mathematics, and engineering in classroom instruction on participants' understandings of productive struggle in learning. Multi-disciplinary teams of…

Since its founding 34 years ago, Teach For America has prepared nearly 70,000 recent college graduates and career-changers to teach in high-poverty schools across the United States. Unlike traditional teacher-preparation programs, it places "corps members" in short-staffed public schools after an intensive summer seminar, before they are…

In all education settings, the challenge of enhancing teaching capability to achieve better learning outcomes is complex and multifaceted. In the context of early grade education in Cambodian schools, this is especially the case. Cambodian education is like the "perfect storm" of challenges. This research addresses the question of…

Teachers' assessment practices greatly influence student learning. However, the level of assessment literacy among teachers is inadequate relative to classroom assessment standards and expectations. Assessment literacy includes interpreting results of various assessments, creating assessments that are aligned to learning targets, using assessment…

This research explores teachers' perceptions of inclusive education training (a collaborative mentorship programme). The research involved 90 general teachers of inclusive elementary schools who had attended inclusive education training organized by the education office in collaboration with a university in Bogor District, West Java, Indonesia.…

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of four cross-institutional teaching enhancement projects (TEPs), a relatively new form of professional collaboration. The focus is on the impact at departmental, institutional and cross-institutional levels because such impact is the main reason for establishing cross-institutional TEPs.…

Identifying effective professional development related to providing social-emotional support in early childhood classrooms is a critical need. We used a multiple probe across participants and behaviors design to examine the impact of external coaching support on classroom coaches' use of coaching strategies with teachers in childcare programs. As…

Professional development is imperative for gifted and talented teachers' improvement in classrooms. However, many professional development courses are not meaningful for teachers and are not presented effectively. Using effective researched strategies, leaders can create better professional development courses. Professional development leaders…

When we think about instructional coaching, we likely envision a single coach observing a teacher and providing feedback. Perhaps we've been short-sighted, writes Michael Moody, cofounder of Insight Education Group. What if instead schools built a system of coaching that focuses on targeted and supported teacher reflection, without relying on…

With the call for increasing the level of inquiry-based instruction in mathematics and science classrooms, it is imperative for teacher education programs to prepare teachers with these skills. This study draws from classroom observation data to determine the influence a unique teacher certification program has on key aspects of teacher practice…