The Houston Teaching Academy, sponsored by the University of Houston College of Education and the Houston Independent School District, prepares student teachers for inner-city classrooms while simultaneously giving practicing teachers access to new research and instructional strategies. One survey showed that academy student teachers learned to…

Far West Laboratory has been working with groups of teachers to develop thematic Close-to-the-Classroom Casebooks. The cases are candid, dramatic, highly readable "snapshots" of on-the-job dilemmas, complete with the author's thoughts and feelings. The teacher narrative is accompanied by at least two educator commentaries aimed at multiple…

Discusses two separate studies showing that New Jersey's alternative route to teacher certification taxes schools' resources while failing to provide adequate teacher training. Although Texas schools have acknowledged that their program drains their resources and have cut back on the number of teachers trained in alternative routes, New Jersey…

Describes an English major's alternative route to second-language instruction in Texas schools. Alternative certification programs offer a more accessible route to teaching for a diverse population, including degreed graduates with content specialties, midcareer individuals eager for a change, and minority and male candidates largely…

A teacher member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards describes the board's mission as enriching teacher preparation and making schools better places for learning. During the second phase of the board's strategic plan, members will research and develop standards and assessment instruments for 34 certification fields and devise…

If technology were incorporated into teacher education and professional development activities, educators might have time to gain confidence, identify appropriate uses, and experiment with specific techniques for their own classrooms. Distance education and computer-mediated communications developments in Iowa, Alaska, California, Virginia, and…

Describes an education professor's efforts to build mentoring relationships with his students by using electronic mail. Students use e-mail to record new skills, knowledge, and techniques they have learned and have come to appreciate the opportunity to address concerns, questions, ideas, or anxieties about assignments without waiting for class or…

Permanent change in schools means finding effective ways to accomplish professional and personal growth in teachers and administrators. This article rewrites some cautionary tales to provide a sampler of strategies to aid real change. Basically, schools need substantive plans, accountable staff developers, broadened staff development definitions,…

The traditional unfriendly rivalry between English universities and colleges and the local education authorities has been changed in East Yorkshire. There, two colleges and two LEAs have developed a jointly owned, financed, and administered scheme for managing degree awards to teachers. Mutual discontent with inservice training prompted the…

Today's staff developers are truly social architects aiming to build a culture of learning by transforming the workplace. When teachers and principals develop as caretakers of learning communities and as collaborators, problem seekers, action researchers, and designers of responsive student-centered curricula, then schoolwork will become more…

The Whole Language Movement may be the most widespread and fastest growing grassroots curriculum trend in U.S. education. Although a few Teachers Applying Whole Language (TAWL) groups are affiliated with school systems, the majority are supported entirely by teachers from different school districts meeting together voluntarily to advance their own…

After replacing its basal readers with a literature series, Tucson (Arizona) schools piloted a study group approach supporting long-term, innovative changes in reading instruction. Study groups gave teachers the chance to consider their beliefs, share ideas, challenge current practices, blend theory and practice, identify professional and personal…

The new kinds of teaching required to implement curriculum reforms like the California Curriculum Frameworks are incompletely defined and impossible to learn in quick-fix workshops. Teachers need to have "instructional conversations" with students that engage their interest, focus on a definite subject, and encourage full participation in…

When assessing a staff development program, several factors must be considered, including improvement in student outcomes, content and quality of the staff development program, and organizational climate and culture. Specific suggestions for evaluating program influences on participants, students, and the organization are offered. A multifaceted…

As one "traveling school marm" on a cooperative learning quest claims, the minisabbatical can be a creative, rewarding professional development experience for veteran teachers. Giving teachers six to eight weeks off to pursue research interests can bring long-term benefits to individual participants and districts, especially if reports of findings…