This paper reports data from the third phase of a 2-year investigation into continuing professional development (CPD) for physical education teachers in England. The purpose of this phase was to examine the ways in which 10 case study teachers engaged in professional learning over the course of 1 academic year. Data were collected from a series of…

In 2004, the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences contracted with Mathematica Policy Research to conduct a large-scale evaluation of comprehensive teacher induction. The purpose of the study was to determine whether augmenting the set of services districts usually provide to support beginning teachers with a more…

This study examined the factors perceived by in-service teachers as either facilitating or impeding successful completion of online group work in a virtual graduate school of education program. Based on a quantified qualitative data analysis of open-ended questions, five facilitative factors were identified as (a) individual accountability, (b)…

Ask just about any teacher what the most challenging aspect of their job is and, most likely, one of the first answers one will get is "student behaviors!" To date, very little current research has examined the impact of specific challenging behaviors on teachers' job satisfaction. In other words, terms such as "challenging behavior" and…

Hierarchical educational structures employ a standards-driven decision-making atmosphere that challenges teachers' autonomy. This situation represents a critical issue for teacher educators who must consider how they will teach candidates to respond to these settings. We argue that teacher empowerment represents a moral issue that teacher…

In Fall 2007, AISD conducted a survey of four general topics: attachment to teaching, compensation, mentoring for new teachers, and professional development. Results are presented regarding the importance of these factors to teacher retention. [For report II, see ED628048.]

The school library media center has an abundance of resources for teachers and students, but library media specialists are frequently isolated, sometimes invisible, members of the faculty. In addition, many teachers mistakenly think of library media specialists as "the copyright police" or "The Controllers of Content" instead of collaborators. It…

As we engage our students in social studies topics--whether at the college level or the secondary level--we are charged with promoting habits of mind and thought that produce our country's citizens. If we are doing our jobs, we are insistent about finding ways to connect the democracy in our classrooms with the democracy in our culture, and thus…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Curriculum Quality and includes: (1) Suggestions for Conducting Effective Teaching Demonstrations in Classrooms with Diverse Learners…

Explores the stories of teachers who were prepared to risk and explore process drama experiences with their students. Considers what influences would emerge as important to them when they began to experiment with drama teaching practices. (SG)

In the recent years, teacher quality has become a top priority of our national education policy. There is empirical evidence that suggests that teacher inputs have impact on student outcomes. It is also believed that teacher dispositions are as crucial for student achievement as a teacher's pedagogical and content knowledge/skills. The National…

High school teacher Emily Sims shares her experiences co-teaching inclusive classes as a first-year teacher. She imparts practical advice for successful co-teaching relationships between the content teacher and the special education teacher, from which both students and teachers can thrive. (Contains 1 figure.)

With an inadequate supply of qualified teachers, education stakeholders continue to investigate teacher attrition issues and induction/mentoring practices to improve retention rates, especially in the critical first years of teaching. What types of support do beginning teachers value, and what do they actually receive? What types of support do…

Crafting a positive school work environment takes time and will that many educators often lack. Yet some experts say that how the principal, teachers, and staff get along is paramount to parental involvement and to cutting-edge instruction. Unfortunately, according to this author, the workplace culture in many schools is undeniably dysfunctional.…

The retention of elementary general music teachers is of primary concern to the music education community. Teachers complete four years of college with additional coursework or masters degrees to improve and enhance their teaching expertise. With increased amounts of time and money involved in the training of these music teaching professionals,…