Examined the outcomes of a 2-year, technology-supported, problem-based learning project which built teacher knowledge through sustained, dialogue-driven collaboration. The qualitative research, involving 28 grade 5-8 teachers, identified key organizational structures for making the most of computer-mediated communication for inservice teacher…

Examines collaborative research and practice-oriented inquiry groups which facilitate the professional development of educators and the enhancement of student achievement within a middle-school Professional Development School (PDS). Small groups of university and school educators conduct action research and inquiry about school-based educational…

This study examined how professional learning communities develop, using cross-subject teams within the context of HUMANITAS, a program designed to promote teachers' professional growth and effectiveness by creating a voluntary "community of learners" for teachers and students. Data were gathered from teacher interviews, team…

Key elements of effective teacher development include a focus on curriculum and job-situated problems, hands-on opportunities to apply learning, and collaboration among teachers (Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001; Hiebert, Gallimore, & Stigler, 2002; National Staff Development Council, 2001). Program developers at The Education…

This study interviewed 22 stakeholders in a Professional Development School (PDS) to determine their attitudes about the purpose, processes, relationships, and outcomes of their partnership. The study involved a series of in-depth, semi-structured, 1-hour interviews with PDS stakeholders to identify critical elements deemed necessary for the…

The Kansas Goals 2000 Early Career Professional Development Program is a joint effort between universities, the Southeast Education Service Center, and 68 school districts. The program helps provide a seamless system of professional development for beginning teachers in their first 3 years of experience. The program relies heavily on trained…

This book examines teachers' lounges as sites for the development of communal knowledge. It highlights data from surveys of teachers regarding their interactions in 26 elementary and secondary teachers' lounges in Israeli schools. The book regards teachers in lounges as learners, whether they are involved in formal professional development…

This study investigated professional growth as an individually reflective and authentically collaborative phenomenon. The study examined the extent to which self-directed professional learning, personal and shared reflection, and authentic collaboration within a supportive study group could create changes in secondary teachers' perceptions of…

This document, the seventh in a series on diversity in the classroom, offers strategies for general education teachers to help them provide an appropriate education to students with exceptional needs within the regular classroom. Section 1, "Introduction," examines definitions and the organization of the document. Section 2,…

This study examined whether the effects of collaboration between schools and higher education would persist 1 year after discontinuation of an action research project. Participants were teachers and other district personnel who had completed an action research seminar the previous year. They completed a survey that compared their present attitudes…

Staff development is crucial in creating successful mentoring relationships in schools and districts. Four major tasks for staff developers when creating programs for mentors are: selecting and training mentors, matching mentors with proteges, setting goals and expectations, and establishing the program. Implications for staff developers are…

When teachers become involved in induction programs like California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program, the principal's role becomes crucial. To support new teachers, principals can adjust working conditions, provide more release time for lesson planning, connect formative and evaluative assessment goals, and support collaborative…

Articulates the efforts of two teachers and a professor in a graduate seminar focused on analyzing and improving instruction to develop a scholarship of pedagogy. The teachers reported cases documenting how they used research-based ideas from the seminar to better reflect upon their practice. Their seminar experiences attested to three central…

This year's winners of the U.S. Department of Education's Model Professional Development Awards exemplify schools and districts where everyone's job is to learn. In these models, time and resources are spent on teacher-run institutes, data analysis and collection, peer coaching, curriculum writing, collaborative lesson planning, examining student…

The Virtual Gorilla Modeling Project--a professional development project--is a collaboration of middle and high school inservice teachers, Zoo Atlanta primatologists, science and computer educators, and students. During a 10-day professional development summer workshop, middle and high school teachers explore the world of the gorilla through…