Despite the wealth of studies on smaller learning communities (SLCs), student voices are missing from the debate on high school reform. This article examines how students experience SLCs. A participatory research method, data-in-a-day was used to provide a systematic and inclusive method for gathering data on student perceptions. Data-in-a-day is…

Historically examines pre-desegregation and African American schools in Tennessee, highlighting school-community life between 1890-1967. The impact of place is reflected in a school-community agency relationship stemming from a centeredness of both school and community around self-reliance and self-determination, empowerment and proactive…

Examines competing and conflicting approaches to curriculum (using information from an ATLAS (Authentic Teaching, Learning, and Assessment of all Students) seminar study group that investigated differences in participants' approaches), describing the four sources of authority that shape curriculum decisions, discussing different balances of…

Traces the evolution of an elementary PDS that began as a project (the Learning Environment Project, or the Responsive Classroom Project). The project provides insight into the process and developmental stages of the partnership and moving toward the core commitments of the PDS. The idiosyncratic nature of relationships and the need to give them…

Describes a high school Professional Development School (PDS) that involved Maryville University of St. Louis, Missouri, examining important characteristics of the schools and the partnership and focusing on four moral dimensions of teachers' work: pedagogical nurturing of teachers, students' access to knowledge, enculturation into a social and…

Presents one teacher educator's reflections on working in a Professional Development School (PDS) for 5 years, discussing changes in his work; the value of the teacher educator's PDS role; involvement with real school issues; becoming a mentor; expanding the professional circle; personal satisfaction with PDS work; and the viability of the PDS…

Shares the insights and experiences of mentor teachers from an elementary-level Professional Development School (PDS), describing the development of the PDS and offering insights about the mentor teacher's role, opportunities, and qualities. Information comes from surveys of and interviews with 11 mentor teachers at the school. A checklist for…

Reflects on the roles and responsibilities of four key educators involved in a Professional Development School (PDS): a university faculty member, a middle school principal, a middle school teacher who is also an adjunct professor, and another middle school teacher. The paper reflects on the Holmes Group concept at work. (SM)

Examines the complex roles and responsibilities of Professional Development School (PDS) liaisons from the perspective of one liaison who has served in many capacities. She notes that her most intriguing challenge relates to differences among sets of roles and responsibilities, some of which are more hierarchical and some of which are more…

Speculates on the future of Professional Development Schools (PDSs), examining: the Holmes Group's beginning vision of PDSs; PDS progress; persistent problems; the vision of learning and learning to teach; the role of the university at large; the structures of schools and PDSs; teachers' roles; recent enabling trends; and a primary purpose for…

Examines literature on empowerment, and participation of parents and teachers in school decision making in the context of school governance. Discusses changing roles of parents and teachers under conditions of restructuring and examines how the changing organizational context in schools influences the nature and quality of relationships between…

Professionalism as a force for reform may succumb to growing pressures that place the locus for educational improvement in the community itself and that work toward economic empowerment of families within schools. The article compares two contrasting strategies for educational improvement in urban neighborhoods (service versus empowerment),…

Students with special needs share the same basic needs for literacy instruction. General-education teachers should maintain primary responsibility for literacy education for all students, while special educators and reading specialists provide support. This paper examines obstacles to quality literacy instruction, offering a school-based case…

In discussing the preparation and development of U.S. science teachers, this paper presents a historical overview of events leading to the present situation, describing the current national challenge for science-teacher educators and concluding with some examples of promising practices aligned with recommended reforms. Each subsection begins with…

Describes how two different mentors influenced one individual as he moved from college student to assistant professor, explaining that the most important part of their mentoring role was to believe unconditionally in his abilities. The paper explains that parents and friends provide the foundation for a successful life, but such relationships are…