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Professional development opportunities are an important aspect of teacher development and should be embraced by both teachers and school leaders in a collaborative effort. Unfortunately, certain professional development events are plagued with high absenteeism rates. At a regional inservice center in the South (USA), high absenteeism was targeted as requiring immediate administrative attention. Thus, the members of the governing board and the director of the center engaged in an action research plan to combat the problem. Over the course of a summer program, the no‐show rate (average number of participants who registered for a workshop yet did not attend) was tracked in 62 independent workshops. Considerations such as time of day, location, workshop topic, and teaching level of teacher were analyzed, yielding nonsignificant results and no discernible patterns. Instead, a pattern of chronic absenteeism for some individuals, in certain school systems, was noted. Using this data, an action plan was devised. Suggestions included increased marketing, communication with individual no‐show offenders, and communication with school leaders from targeted systems.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the school-based support program (SBSP) as perceived by teachers who participated in this program. SBSP was designed to collectively build the capacity and promote the overall quality of teaching and learning in identified independent schools in the State of Qatar.

This study is quantitative in nature and was conducted using a survey methodology as its research design. A variety of statistical techniques were utilized in this research. Means, standard deviations, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were utilized to analyze gained data.

The findings indicated that teachers perceived the effectiveness of SBSP to be moderate-to- high. Further, there was a significant difference between male and female teachers in their perceptions of the effectiveness of SBSP overall. Male participant teachers perceived SBSP overall to be more effective than female participant teachers did. However, there were no significant differences among participant teachers in perceiving the effectiveness of SBSP that is attributed to their teaching experience or academic qualifications.

This study suggests a common level of satisfaction of the SBSP program that was launched just two years ago. At the same time, however, many recommendations and implications were discussed and suggested to enhance the effectiveness of the program.

The decade of the 1980s was unique for the sheer quantity of education reform reports and legislation. Virtually every state enacted education reform legislation, including reforms of teacher education, licensing, and comprehension. According to Darling‐Hammond and Berry, over 1,000 pieces of legislation related to teachers have been drafted since 1980, and “a substantial fraction have been implemented.” As I discussed in my 1989 RSR article, “Five Years after A Nation at Risk: An Annotated Bibliography,” two waves of 1980s reform reports were identified in the enormous body of primary and secondary literature dealing with education reform. The reform publications of the early 1980s stressed improvements in curricular standards, student performance outcomes, and changes to the education programs, such as salary increases, teacher testing, and stricter certification requirements. The second‐wave reform publications emphasized more complex issues centered around the concepts of restructuring the schools and teacher education programs, as well as empowering teachers to become more involved in curriculum and governance issues.

The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of online learning on university librarians’ professional development and library services.

A mixed-methods study through an explanatory research design was applied to address the study’s objectives. Quantitative data were gathered from 341 librarians working in 221 universities, while qualitative data were gathered from 27 experts working in 21 different universities of Pakistan.

The findings of the study revealed that online learning has a significant positive impact on the professional development of university librarians. Results revealed that online learning assists in the provision of sustainable, innovative library services in university libraries.

The study has offered a model in light of the study's quantitative and qualitative findings. It contributes to theoretical understanding by expanding the existing knowledge base. It offers managerial insights, enabling the development of policies that foster the professional development of library personnel and the implementation of smart library services.

Developed and discussed in this chapter is a model for university–school partnerships in the Goodlad tradition, a model referred to as the Professional Development Center (PDC). This model is a unique apprenticeship-based partnership inspired from Goodlad, the Holmes Group, NNER, and others, and, has been sustained for nearly 25 years at a rural midwestern university in the United States. Though different in form from the professional development school model, the PDC functions conceptually similarly in that it seeks to renew and revitalize teaching and teachers, and to do so in a professional learning context predicated on inquiry aiming toward the improvement of practice.

This chapter proceeds by introducing the PDC, discussing its policies and practices, curriculum, competencies, and commitments of those in the program, and concludes by discussing the growth, leadership, and renewal experienced through the program. Inclusive in this chapter are observations from mentors and novices who have gone through the PDC programming.

Purpose – The chapter explores the newly launched Teacher Certification Examinations (TCEs) in one of the post-Soviet countries, Georgia, and describes the experiences and perceptions of Georgian teachers going through the process of teacher certification. The qualitative study develops an in-depth understanding of the perceived strength and weaknesses of TCE in Georgia.Methodology – This case study was carried out in the spring of 2012 in 17 Georgian schools. School teachers and school principals from public and private schools were interviewed. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit all participants. In addition to data obtained from research participants, various policy documents, laws on general education, minister's decrees, and statistical databases are analyzed and incorporated into the study.Findings – The data analyses showed that while the certification policy, in some way, increased teachers’ social status and prestige in the society, it failed to meet teachers’ expectations regarding remuneration policy and professional development opportunities. The TCE, without an adequate compensation policy as well as other types of incentives to increase teacher motivation, creates only a technical threshold for teachers to obtain a teacher certificate to secure jobs, rather than being a catalyst for a genuine professional development opportunity.Value – The study is the first attempt to empirically examine the teacher certification process in Georgia, thus it fills a knowledge gap that exists in the field. The Georgian TCE is the first TCE in south Caucasus; thus, the study of the implementation and outcomes of the Georgian reform provides a unique opportunity for the region and for the rest of the developing world to learn from the successes and failures of the reform process.

Research in general education has demonstrated that school principals have a substantial impact on the effectiveness of schools and related student achievement. This is not a direct impact, but rather relates to how principals indirectly impact student learning by improving the learning environment of a school and the practice of teachers. More specifically, the dimensions of principal practice that are most influential in improving schools and student achievement relate to establishing a shared vision, facilitating a high-quality learning environment for students, building the professional capacity of teachers, creating a supportive organization for learning, and connecting with external partners. Only in recent years has research begun to emerge related to the role of the principal in supporting improved achievement for students with disabilities in schools that are effective and inclusive. In this chapter, we review research related to what principals can do to facilitate the development of inclusive schools that are also effective in improving achievement for students with disabilities and other students who struggle to learn. After reviewing these dimensions of principal practice, we then provide a brief case study that illustrates how a principal in an effective inclusive school applied several of these practices, including staff collaboration, progress monitoring, and professional development to improve teacher practice and student outcomes.

Professional development (PD) is an essential component of continuing learning for in-service teachers. This paper discusses a school-based example of using the best practice of coaching in early childhood education supported by a professional development school partnership. We explain how a teacher identified need led to a collaborative, multistep approach to meeting that need in connection to State mandates.

In this research, we used a case study methodological approach with a team of preschool teachers at one school. The model combines use of PD sessions, classroom coaching, classroom observation and reflection.

Teachers’ feedback indicates that using the strategy positively impacted most of the participants’ ability to support communication, community-building and inclusive practices in their classrooms. The data that emerged in the following year evidenced increased use of visual supports in classrooms, use in connection with literacy goals and interest in creating new uses in the school.

This article contributes an action-oriented school-based example of bridging research to practice to support teachers’ needs through PD and coaching in a PDS. The design and practical implications may interest preschool educators, instructional coaches, administrators, professional development schools and others involved with monitoring teacher development initiatives.

This paper aims to provide a framework for continuous, quality, low cost professional development opportunities at the university level to improve the quality of the instructional practices and/or curriculum used in the teacher education program.

Background of the design, needs assessment and implementation of professional development (best practice seminars) based upon the established best practices principles is described.

Provides information about the various seminars that were held each year based upon the faculty needs assessment which is administered biennially. This needs assessment is developed based upon input from the yearly Beginning Teacher Assistance Program survey, P‐12 Regional Professional Development Center Advisory Group, current research and yearly goals set by university departments.

A useful framework for other colleges and universities to provide continuous, quality, low cost professional development opportunities. At the very least, these seminars will raise awareness of current instructional practices and curriculum that is currently being used in P‐12 schools to raise student achievement. Hopefully, these “best practice” seminars will change instructional practice and curriculum at the university level to improve teacher education programs.

This paper fulfills an identified need in the field of continuous quality improvement in the field of teacher education and offers a very useful framework for establishing a design to complete professional development at the university level.