Middle level educators can't always define it succinctly, but they know courageous, collaborative leadership when they see it. Examples of courageous leadership can range from a cancer-stricken teacher who inspires a whole school, to an educator who makes little strides by modeling the art of "hanging out" for students for whom social interaction…

This report summarizes the results of a research study conducted to assess the intellectual development of students in the QUANTA Learning Community at Daytona Beach Community College (DBCC) (Florida) in the 1989-90 academic year. QUANTA is a freshman interdisciplinary program with 75 students and three faculty. Three courses--English, psychology,…

This book presents ideas for beginning secondary teachers who want to excel during their first year of teaching. The eight chapters focus on: (1) "Before the First Days of School" (e.g., classroom design, school policies, important people to know, dressing for success, special education students, school records, and emergency procedures); (2) "The…

Investigated preservice and inservice teachers' attitudes toward CaseNET, a web-based, case-based learning environment. Analysis of participants' written comments indicated that they considered CaseNET an opportunity to engage in professional development via exploration, reflection, collaboration, and hands-on interactions with authentic teaching…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between different types of professional development, teachers' instructional practices, and the achievement of students in science and mathematics. The types of professional development studied included immersion, examining practice, curriculum implementation, curriculum development, and…

This interpretive case study describes a collaborative project involving a physics professor and a science educator. We report what was learned about factors that influenced the professor's development of teaching strategies, alternative to lecture, that were intended to promote prospective teachers' meaningful learning and their use of canonical…

When Prince George's County Public Schools created a teacher mentor program, administrators also created a system for evaluating it with clear expectations and goals at the outset. Precisely defining objectives enabled leaders to see their progress, determine what needed to change along the way, and build support for the program.

The aims of this paper are to: (1) illustrate a practical, collaborative methodology that helps to provide insights into teaching perspectives and practices; (2) provide information about a self-study approach that had the potential to assist educational practitioners in diverse roles and contexts develop understanding about themselves, their…

This book offers educators, parents, administrators, and other school personnel in the elementary and lower middle-school grades a basic understanding of what is involved in making inclusion work. In chapter 1, there is an explanation of the types of disabilities and other factors determining achievement, reasons for trying inclusion, and factors…

This report focuses on distance learning projects conducted by the Centers for Professional Development of Teachers (CPDTs) in Texas, examining projects that closely interface with CPDTs, emphasizing the trends and issues that have emerged, and noting the effect these projects have had on education in general. The report begins by describing the…

A study involving 40 experts in teaching literacy skills to students with low vision identified the levels of direct and consultative instructional services needed for teaching literacy skills to such students. Findings support the need to provide consistent, direct instruction in almost all areas of literacy and literacy-related skills. (Contains…

Interviews with 16 general special education teachers from the Chicago area were conducted in order to obtain information on their views and experiences with collaboration. An open-ended questionnaire consisting of nine items was utilized during the interviews, which required the participants to give multiple sentence responses to each question.…

Prospective teachers spending a year in classrooms... Teachers and professors studying problems that teachers face every day... Teachers co-teaching methods courses with university professors... These are some of the exciting outcomes of university-school teacher education partnerships in North Carolina. Current interest in university-school…

We examine the science and pedagogy behind a historical approach to the professional development of pre-college science (primarily biology) teachers. Our intention is to reach professional scientists, who, as a group, are uniquely qualified to provide experience and insights essential to this approach. The underlying research for this article has…

Change is hard work, even when we are convinced it is worth the effort. Teachers are expected to change without clear explanations or evidence of how the changes will benefit them or their students. Meaningful change is most likely to occur when teachers' beliefs, feelings, and personality are taken into consideration. This book applies the latest…