Effective professional development (PD) is crucial for enhancing teacher instruction and student achievement. This Spotlight explores innovative approaches to PD that prioritize teacher needs and foster meaningful learning experiences. From hybrid PD models to teacher-led initiatives and on-demand online courses, these articles offer valuable…

This article presents results from a study of a year-long, teaching and learning center-directed, professional development initiative that focused on both the technology and the pedagogical supports for online and blended course delivery at a research university. The purpose of this mixed methods study was two-fold. The first purpose was to…

The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL), examines through four lines of study to determine how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. This brief presents findings from C-SAIL's…

The prevalent public narrative based on Roger's (2003) model of innovation diffusion categorizes teachers as laggards; rigidly entrenched in outdated practices and unwilling to change. As new instructional technologies failed to be adopted into classrooms, this public narrative served as a pervasive explanation, widely accepted as characteristic…

This report presents findings from RAND's evaluation of the Appalachian Renaissance Initiative (ARI) in 17 districts totaling 99 kindergarten-12th grade schools within the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC). The initiative took place from the 2014-2015 through 2017-2018 academic years. The evaluation examined various aspects of ARI…

This paper synthesizes research on how motivation influenced teachers at two school-based performance award (SBPA) programs in Kentucky and in North Carolina. The research was conducted between 1995 and 1998 by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education. SBPA programs provide teachers and other school staff with pay bonuses for the…

Surveyed reactions of experienced primary teachers to the educational changes mandated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) and whether these changes affected teacher retirement decisions. Responses indicated concern over the primary school program components of multiage grouping, no retention/no promotion, and increased mainstreaming. KERA…

Under the Kentucky Education Reform Act, public schools in Kentucky were required to restructure the traditional kindergarten through third-grade classes into a multi-age and multi-ability level, ungraded primary program during the 1993-1994 school year. Classrooms that once contained children at relatively the same age have been replaced with…

Teachers in 12 Kentucky schools were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward school based decision making (SBDM). The 228 subjects included teachers at SBDM schools as well as non-SBDM schools. A Likert scale survey instrument, designed to solicit information specific to the adopted Kentucky SBDM legislation, was administered to teachers in…