Many school districts in
the United States and schools in other English-speaking nations are undergoing
efforts at school reform (England, Canada, New Zealand). The
reasons for school reform can be traced to many causes, most often the
emergent global economy and technological changes. Schools often
act on their own to implement reforms and various kinds of improvements.
Admittedly, this is more likely to happen in private schools and schools
without a central government bureaucracy, such as the United States, but
reform efforts are definitely popular. Even teachers in schools that
remain relatively constant, such as those that adopt the IB curriculum,
are not necessarily immune to reform efforts because of the concerns
of parents.
If your school is engaged
in a reform effort, you may tie your professional development activities
to the reform effort. Find out what plans the administration has
for reform and examine them carefully. See if you can match your
plan (courses, degree work, workshops, self-study, and so forth) to the
goals of the local reform plan. Consider your planning within the
following areas:
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