Learning Forward

Teacher Dissatisfaction  The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents and the Economy MetLife, March 2012 MetLife’s 28th annual survey reports that teacher satisfaction has dropped significantly and is at its lowest point in more than 20 years. More than 1,000 each of teachers and parents participated in the […]

You know the joke — “Hey, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer in the joke, of course, is, “Practice.” Recent research indicates that this answer is right: Deliberate practice of any new skill or habit will take us far in the direction of our […]

In 2009, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced $3.5 billion in Title I funding under Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, also referred to as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2011 (U.S. Department of Education, 2009). Following the Department of Education’s announcement, 831 […]

Teachers in School 9 (a pseudonym), a small elementary school in Passaic County, N.J., were shocked: Just 2.5% of students in the school were performing at grade level in math, making it the lowest-performing school in math in the nonpublic school district of 49 schools. School 9’s student population is […]

Education researchers frequently seek out districts, schools, and teachers as partners for professional learning projects. They share their ambitious vision — a new model of professional learning that will support an empowered community, instructional improvement, and student achievement. The researchers’ unabashed enthusiasm is frequently met with uncertainty, skepticism, and discomfort. […]

Academic language has been referred to as a gatekeeper, something that stands in the way of academic success for native and nonnative speakers alike (Corson, 1997; Bielenberg & Fillmore, 2004). Short and Fitzsimmons (2004) focused on English language learners, asserting that those students must do “double the work” because of the […]

Establishing school-based professional learning appears so simple and straightforward during inspiring presentations at summer workshops, but keeping collaborative work focused on teaching and learning in such a way that it produces consistent results is a highly underestimated task. Investigations and experience from a group of researchers at the University of […]

New technologies can dramatically change the way people live and work. Jet engines transformed travel. Television revolutionized news and entertainment. Computers and the Internet have transformed just about everything else. And now small video cameras have the potential to transform professional learning. While teachers have used video to review their […]

Change is a highly personal experience. Everyone participating in the effort has different reactions to change, different concerns, and different motivations for being involved. The results of change are long-term, but the change process is incremental and continuous. It is a series of destinations that lead to further destinations. The […]

Reaching for the Highest Gains In their influential research, Student Achievement Through Staff Development, Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers (2002) described five components to professional learning design. Along with their earlier research, this study is fundamental to establishing an understanding of adult learning as well as the importance of ongoing support […]