Improving the teacher workforce is now high on the education policy agenda, and most policymakers draw on research to inform their positions about teacher quality. Many policymakers cite the "fact" that, in general, teachers don't improve their effectiveness after their first five years in the classroom. However, recent research shows…

The rapid changes facing higher education are placing increased focus on the quality of the student experience, achieving learning outcomes, and employability expectations. As a result, academics in teaching roles are increasingly measured on performance via student evaluations amplifying attention on professional development initiatives for…

Web-based coaching shows significant promise for linking teachers to highly expert practitioners. This is particularly important in districts that cannot afford to hire full-time school-based coaches or to train and support coaches to be experts in all content areas. While web-based teacher professional development shows a great deal of potential…

In this book, Raider-Roth offers an innovative approach to teacher professional development that builds on the intellectual strength and practical wisdom of practitioners. Focusing on nurturing relationships between and among participants, facilitators, subject matter, texts, and the school environment, this book helps educators create a…

This action research study focused on the use of an instructional coaching model to support teachers in the use of Marzano's nine research-based instructional strategies at a low performing Title 1 middle school. The intervention was carried out over five and a half -month period and was aimed at improving teachers' classroom instruction. The…

The current study evaluates the effectiveness of a comprehensive instructional model, ("Every Child Ready"), as a vehicle to provide equitable education experiences for all children by compensating for gaps in teacher knowledge. The ECR instructional model addresses several challenges facing the early childhood landscape. Specifically,…

Little is known about the relationship between knowledge and instructional quality of novice primary school teachers during their first 3 years of teaching mathematics. This study utilizes the Classroom video analysis and the Mathematical quality of instruction to examine changes in beginning teachers' usable knowledge and instructional quality,…

In current teacher evaluation systems, the two main purposes of evaluation--accountability/goal accomplishment (summative) and professional growth/improvement (formative)--are often at odds with one another. However, they are not only compatible, but linking them within a unified teacher evaluation system may, in fact, be desirable. The challenge…

The teacher evaluation process provides opportunity for instructional feedback and teacher improvement, but also may influence the beliefs teachers have about the quality of their own work and their confidence levels as a teacher. Self-efficacy plays a vital role in determining teacher effectiveness and the students' academic experience, but…

A real-time, multidimensional, professional-development program that is connected to both practice and school culture was delivered to a group of Montessori teachers with the goal of improving teaching practices and increasing student success by exploring the potential benefits of mindfulness, structured reflective practice, and teacher-centered…

This report explores the premise that there's nothing more powerful than great teachers skillfully using great instructional materials to motivate and engage students in their learning. Three real-world examples illustrate how schools and school systems are working to support teachers to skillfully use high-quality, standards-aligned curricula, by…

The focus on using the courts to abolish tenure is a distraction from the important work of improving teacher quality. Unfortunately, the recent decision of Vergara v. California has only perpetuated the mistaken notion that only after tenure is abolished can underperforming teachers be removed. But the authors contend that administrators,…

In April 2015, 11 educators were convicted for their roles in the cheating scandal in the Atlanta Public Schools. The authors examine the lessons that teachers, administrators, and policy makers can learn from the cheating scandal: Teachers and school leaders were not adequately prepared to navigate the school district's environment; there were…

The purpose of this study was to identify considerations that influenced teachers' implementation of principals' evaluative feedback to improve instructional practices. The research question for this study was: What considerations contribute to teachers' applications of principals' evaluative feedback? Participants in this qualitative study…

The development of technology and information demands elementary school teachers to be able to make and teach technology-based musical instruments so that the development of technology and information can be used in the learning process. Elementary school teachers also have problems teaching musical composition using ensemble musical instruments.…