The occupation of teaching has many of the characteristics of a profession. It was once a calling that had the same degree of respect given to members of the clergy, but somewhere in the evolution of teaching in the United States, that sense of respect has been diminished, especially by policymakers who impose punitive actions when students fail…

Introducing new practices alone seldom results in new practices being incorporated into ongoing classroom practices. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) provides a way to transfer new practices into the classroom. This article presents the Implementation Bridge, a metaphor for moving from the earlier or less advanced stages to the later or…

A school that ensures that all students--regardless of race, creed, color, socioeconomic status, gender, or disabilities--have access to and receive the highest-quality education has achieved a key measure of social justice. Since the most significant factor in whether students learn well is quality teaching, and teaching is enhanced through…

Everyone can agree that the purpose of schools is "student learning," and that the most significant factor in whether students learn well is "teaching quality." Further, teaching quality is improved through "continuous professional learning." The context most supportive of the learning of professionals is the professional learning community (Hord…

People everywhere generally agree that the purpose of schools is "student learning." Further, people are generally in agreement that the most significant factor determining whether students learn well is "teaching quality." Teaching quality is improved through "continuous professional learning." Today, the most promising context for continuous…

Studying one's profession, especially when done in community with others, where the learning is richer and deeper, has not been the norm in the education community. Educators typically have been physically isolated from each other because of the structure of school facilities and the schedules that dominate the school day. This physical isolation…

What do the National Staff Development Council's standards look like in practice for teachers, principals, central office staff, superintendents, and board members? Newly developed Innovation Configurations help everyone on the list understand where they fall along the continuum of effective practices aligned to the standards.

"Even Champions Have Coaches" is a North Carolina program begun under the assumption that preparing principals as trainer/coaches for their peers would allow them to understand how change occurs in schools and increase the probability of successful implementation of state educational initiatives. (MT)

Alaska has mounted an intensive statewide staff development effort to help teachers and administrators use research-based practices. Leadership teams from each school, with assistance from the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, develop improvement plans and implementation strategies. Administrators, teachers, and school board members…

One fiscally poor elementary school created a place for quality work by staff and maintained the standards for many years through various ongoing teacher development activities. An essential factor in developing the school culture was believing that teachers must be honored, supported, and trusted before they could honor the students. (SM)