This paper evaluates the perceived impact of the National Award (NA) for Special Educational Needs (SEN) Coordination in English mainstream schools. The Award was introduced in 2009 and has been mandatory for all new Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) since its inception. The framework used for the evaluation is based on the learning…

Given the crucial issues of disproportionality and the growing diversity of our K-12 student population it is imperative that today's classroom teachers be prepared to critically examine, reflect on and respond to practices for learners with diverse needs and from diverse backgrounds. While effective teachers are the key to meeting the needs of…

This paper presents the analysis of two representative lessons drawn from a cross case study of K-12 classrooms in which students and their teachers engaged in a collaborative dialogic inquiry process (data-driven dialogue) to co-construct meaning from assessment results. The representative lessons illustrate a significant shift from…

This multi-layered qualitative study explored a learner-centered curriculum intervention designed to support constructivist learning with practicing PK-12 teachers in a United States university Masters degree program. Research questions that guided faculty inquiry were: 1) How do practicing teachers understand the principles of learner-centered…

Professional learning communities among teachers and schools have been envisioned as a mechanism for development, knowledge building and implementation. However the formation of an effective learning community is more complex than giving teachers a project and asking them to share a room. This paper reports a synergistic interaction between a…

Schools in Scotland have recently received a resources boost, from high-profile entrepreneurs working with the Scottish Executive Education Department, to raise the priority of enterprise education in both primary and secondary schools. At the same time, current policy documentation is clear about intentions to develop more entrepreneurs from the…

We reject a trajectory approach to teaching that classifies "good" and "bad" teaching actions and seeks to move teachers' practices from one of these poles to the other. In this article we offer instead a conceptualisation of mathematics teaching actions as a "landscape of possibilities". We draw together terms…

Japanese Lesson Study has come under increasing attention from educators in the West and throughout South-East Asia since it was revealed outside Japan through the release of the TIMSS Video Study. In this paper we argue that Japanese Lesson Study provides a model for large scale, sustainable professional development. In particular, we draw on our…

Describes successes and problems of the European Schoolnet Multimedia Project, highlighting one project, the Learning School, which researched teachers' needs and uses of information and communication technology in the classroom in Portugal, Belgium, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The article examines issues related to pedagogy, demands on…

Discusses how information and communications technology (ICT) can contribute to school improvement, calling for a convergence between the school improvement literature and research surrounding the impact of ICT on learning. The paper argues that school improvement planning and ICT focused projects have the same overall goal, which is to enhance…

Describes the components of a framework constructed during a study of information and communications technology (ICT) use to promote learning in Scottish schools. The framework represents different visions of how technology can impinge upon schools, teachers, learning, and the curriculum. Typical relationships between ICT use and key features of…

Highlights problems associated with pen-and-paper testing, recommending a computerized adaptive testing system which measures students' abilities against the levels of the United Kingdom National Curriculum in mathematics. The current prototype of this system can be used on a school's network. Results are issued at the time of testing, and…

Interviewed British teacher educators regarding their intentions and attitudes toward their programs. Respondents' views on program goals differed significantly. Their views about outcomes were mapped onto available conceptual frameworks about what developing as a higher education teacher involved. Four instruments for identifying the outcomes of…

Discusses educational research conducted by British school teachers in collaboration with university school of education faculty, noting how the occupational culture of each group differs and the likelihood for differences to be magnified and tensions to arise. The paper explains how educational research is viewed from each group's occupational…

Researchers examined what South African and Israeli teachers reflected on in their portfolios when writing about professional growth. Teacher interviews and portfolio analyses indicated that what teachers included in their portfolios related to external factors (what was publicly rewarded and valued as good performance). Teachers viewed good…