Following on the heels of our provocative May 2010 issue, which focused on better teacher preparation, evaluation, retention, and supports for teachers, this summer online issue takes a more granular look at what educators themselves are doing to hone the art and craft of teaching. In these days of mandates from above, our authors tell us, it is all the more important to be self-starting—and to encourage our colleagues to be self-starters—if we want the crucial buy-in needed for education reform.
Allison Zmuda and Jay McTighe kick off the issue, profiling new online education troubleshooting guides that districts are compiling. Such databases, if built well, offer educators customized strategies beyond those buried in unwieldy resource guides residing on dusty shelves.
Ann Lieberman then describes Ontario's new teacher-led professional development, a provincewide system that combines choice and coherence, research and innovation. Best of all, it involves teachers and principals at every step. An informative video, "Teachers Take the Lead," looks at how the program works.
Then Lisa Houk shows how a Michigan school district created a lab classroom model in which host teachers demonstrate best practice in a collegial and nonthreatening way. Cindi Rigsbee, author of Finding Mrs. Warnecke (Jossey-Bass, 2010), details her own journey to find more effective ways to relate to students. Next, Susan Allred reflects on the characteristics of the good teachers she has known, inviting us all to think of our own best teachers and what they can still teach us.
Our Special Report on a MetLife survey reveals another important key to improvement: the connection between job satisfaction and collaboration.
Finally, we offer an index to all the fine authors who contributed to their fellow educators' growth and professional development this year by sharing their insights and practice on the pages of Educational Leadership.
Have a great summer, readers. See you online this summer. We'll be back in print in September.
— Marge Scherer Editor in Chief, Educational Leadership
