Professional development: a key to Kentucky's educational reform effort

Despite its essential role in educational reform, professional development typically does not receive adequate support in systemic reform efforts. This article presents an exception—a state that incorporated professional development as a central priority in its reform effort and four schools that used state resources to build their capacity for enacting the reform agenda. We describe central features of Kentucky's approach to professional development, characterize elements of professional development within the four schools, and discuss how these elements promoted three dimensions of school capacity: individual teachers’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions; professional community; and program coherence. Based on this “image of the possible,” we offer recommendations for professional development that supports systemic, standards-based educational reform.     

Book Review

THE EDUCATING OF AMERICANS: A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY , Daniel Calhoun (ed.).
Michael B. Katz, The Irony of Early School Reform: Educational Innovation in Mid-Nineteenth Century Massachusetts .     

An Examination of the Factors that Shape the Engagement of Faculty Members and Academic Staff

In this article we discuss some of the factors that influence how faculty members and academic staff at Michigan State University connect their scholarly activities to external audiences. Logistic regression was used to analyze data collected using an institutional-wide survey. Findings reveal that appointment type, discipline, and demographic attributes influence the type of engaged activities—teaching, research, and service—in which faculty members and academic staff are involved. We discuss the implications for practice and research.     

Imperial Language Educators in these Times: Transnational Voices from Mexico on Nationalisms and Returnee Transnationals

We write from a public university in Mexico’s interior, as 2 language professors from countries with fraught, yet intertwined, sets of histories—Mexico and the United States. Having lived in 2 countries with dramatic increases in nationalist policies, we reflect on having lived abroad through the increases in nationalism in our lived experiences. We also explore our understandings of retornados, the transnational returnees to Mexico, and how these students impact us and our teaching in Mexico in an English teacher education program. We conclude with implications for educators, as well as tempered senses of hope in these fraught political times.     

Comparative study of the pedagogical content knowledge of experienced and novice chemical demonstrators

This study examined the pedagogical content knowledge of experienced and novice chemical demonstrators. It specifically delineates the nature of the declarative knowledge associated with science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. Science teachers who (1) teach abstract concepts in chemistry, (2) have a strong interest in using demonstrations as a science teaching strategy, and (3) have high and low levels of experience conducting chemical demonstrations participated in the study. Clinical interviews were used to probe teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. The findings suggest that the experienced chemical demonstrators possess a greater representational and adaptational repertoire for teaching fundamental concepts in chemistry than novices. They also appeared to be more cognizant of the complexity of chemical demonstrations, how these complexities may interfere with learning, and how simplified variations of chemical demonstrations can promote concept learning. The implications for teacher education programs are discussed.     

Certified Performance Technology in Practice: A View from the Inside

In this article, two internal consultants discuss their adherence to the Human Performance Technology (HPT) principles and standards as they launched a large cross‐functional project in partnership with a business unit and a team of external consultants. As new colleagues in a large telecom company, their reliance on HPT to provide a common framework and language was critical. It also allowed for a rapid onboarding for one of the consultants and a successful partnership for both. They discuss how they leveraged the established structure to align future work to their specific capabilities and expertise.     

An Assessment of Arguments for Teaching Religion in Public Schools in the United States

After evaluating arguments for teaching a religion course in public schools, and finding the most common ones less than convincing, I provide a justification rooted in the unique mission of public education. I then suggest that two types of courses, Bible Literature and World Religion, could, if properly taught, serve this mission in a unique way. I also provide a set of minimum guidelines for teachers if religion courses are to be appropriate for public schools.