This case study of a joint school/university professional development opportunity explored how 12 practitioners came together to examine change in light of discrepancies between current practice in local schools and promising practices recommended in the literature for students identified as having significant disabilities. The group met monthly…

Through growing formative research, lesson study has emerged as a powerful practice that affects teachers' practical analysis of learning and teaching. Such research, however, also recognizes challenges to its implementation. In a methods course, lesson study has the potential to provide valuable links between teacher education and practice. In…

One characteristic of master's programs that has received little attention in the literature is the opportunity that cohorts allow for creating intellectually coherent programs rather than a collection of independent courses. We thus describe how the faculty who taught in a cohort for students earning a master of arts degree in K-8 mathematics…

Investigated reasons for tensions among stakeholders, such as Ontario's ministries of education, teacher associations, local school districts, and university teacher education programs regarding the meaning and implications of professional development. Interview data clarified stakeholders' perspectives and priorities and noted that effective…

Describes the development and implementation of an innovative master's degree program for urban, inservice teachers. This collaborative effort, which involved a university and a school district, included such features as being delivered on- site to beginning or newer teachers; offering content designed around teachers' expressed needs; placing…

Describes professional development programs that lead to the creation of successful inclusive school programs, arguing that traditional professional development is often not effective and recommending that if professional development is to result in significant changes in teachers' classroom practices, these programs must be tailored to the…

Provides an overview of gifted education as viewed by contemporary leaders and researchers in the field, who responded to questions about past, present, and future issues, focusing on the accomplishments of gifted education, core non-negotiables about educating gifted children that all teachers should know, and future challenges and directions.…

Presents an annotated bibliography that represents the varieties of materials which may be useful for those who plan, develop, and implement multicultural and global studies; infuse them throughout the curriculum; and strive to develop personnel with the attitudes and skills to collaborate and empathize with youth. (SM)

Examined changes in teachers' beliefs and practices after using video to enhance self-evaluation and guided reflection within a field-based course. Data from a teaching-belief survey, videotapes of teaching episodes, videotapes of post-teaching episodes, and a videotaped portfolio presentation indicated that participants came to view teaching as a…

Describes a professional-development program for experienced elementary teachers that focused on teacher learning. Data collected over 18 months and qualitatively analyzed for setting features and learning processes indicative of an intellectual focus identified five setting features and two broad patterns of engagement (from less- to…

This article argues that in order to improve or change teachers' negative perceptions about including students with disabilities in their classrooms, the training of all teachers needs to occur. Currently, not all teachers have positive attitudes toward inclusion or training to work with students with disabilities. (SM)

The Micronesian/Ponape Teacher Corps Project brings together the services of several organizations and agencies to (a) upgrade basic and professional skills of Micronesian interns; (b) implement a University Without Walls baccalaureate program; (c) demonstrate a model for teacher training; (d) utilize and support the teacher education programs at…

University-school system cooperation in the formation of teacher centers has benefits for both parties--the school system can use the university resources, educational materials, research facilities, and scholarly expertise, while providing to the university training sites and field-based research opportunities. (MB)

Some problems are described of consortium teacher centers, which have been organized among higher education institutions, professional organizations, and school districts to plan and implement teacher education programs. (JMF)

An inservice course is outlined for elementary school teachers on behavior modification and open classrooms; results support the observation that inservice courses for teachers are a reasonably efficient, effective, and economical way to change teacher behavior. (MB)