Complete Coverage
Professional Development: Leverage for Learning

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This series—launched in the July 27, 2005, issue of Education Week—examines the new and evolving approaches to professional development in education at a time of increased expectation on teachers to meet the "highly qualified" mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Educators See Classroom Visits as Powerful Learning Tool

Seven Louisiana districts are seeking to make principals better observers of teaching with a technique called “walkthroughs.” Administrators in each system are being trained to coach school leaders on what to look for, and how to use what they see to plan professional development in their schools. July 26, 2005 – Education Week

Teachers Flocking to Online Sources to Advance and Acquire Knowledge

The possibilities of online learning for educators have been dazzling, and over the past decade a slew of providers have rushed to create Web-based opportunities for more and better professional development—and institutional gain. July 26, 2005 – Education Week

States and Districts Send Literacy Coaches to the Rescue

In the movement to improve reading instruction, many states and districts are building an army of specialists to help teachers apply research to practice. July 26, 2005 – Education Week

Pressure Builds for Effective Staff Training

Many national policymakers and experts believe that professional development, which teachers often have regarded as wasted time, is potentially an important tool for improving student learning. But as often happens in education, the research on such programs and their effectiveness hasn’t kept pace with the rhetoric. July 26, 2005 – Education Week