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The focus of this article is teacher professional development. The article examines literature related to teacher professional development and methods of measuring its impact. In order to ground the discussion, the article focuses on a case study that captures the perspectives of Ontario secondary school teachers and their administrators as they implement a literacy program targeted at improving student achievement., Les stratégies relatives à la réussite des élèves sont souvent assujetties à la compréhension des liens entre le perfectionnement professionnel des enseignants et le développement de la littératie des élèves. En plus d’examiner la littérature portant sur le perfectionnement professionnel et les mesures relatives à son impact, cet article présente une étude de cas qui relate les représentations des enseignants des écoles secondaires de l’Ontario et des administrateurs scolaires durant le processus de mise en oeuvre d’un programme de littératie visant l’amélioration du rendement des élèves.

Une enquête a été effectuée auprès de femmes noires francophones afin de mieux comprendre leur intégration à la communauté ontarienne. La plupart des répondantes expriment leurs préoccupations face à leur intégration économique, culturelle et sociale, face à leur manque d’informations concernant les ressources disponibles dans la communauté et le fonctionnement du système ontarien. Des solutions sont envisagées pour permettre l’intégration à part entière des femmes noires francophones, laquelle est définie en termes de partenariats et du maintiendes différences culturelles et sociales.

The Franco-Ontarian community has always been made up of people whose language and culture were similar. Over the past 20 years, important changes have taken place, particularly in urban centres where the French-speaking immigrants came from all parts of the world. A veritable micro cosmos has resulted, reflecting the growth of the world community of francophones (Ministry of Education and Training, 1993). Ontario is a large province with regional differences which are reflected in the concentration and composition of the population. In a number of towns, French is the language of the majority but francophones can be found across the province. A large number of newly arrived immigrants from other French-speaking environments, have settled in Ontario, especially in urban regions, where they are now actively engaged in maintaining and promoting the use of French within their respective ethnocultural communities. Given the historical context of the evolution of French schools in Ontario, the arrival of new f...

Abstract: The present study examined the current situation of language development programs (Actualisation linguistique et perfectionnement du français, ALF/PDF [French language upgrading]) to develop a readiness profile to assess student skills in communicating, learning, and cultural expression. The readiness profile, an overall and detailed assessment of student performance, can be used to guide and develop consistent conditions for the transfer of ALF/PDF students into the regular program.

The Province of Ontario, Canada, is demonstrating its deep commitment to the goal of equitable student outcomes through the development of the Framework of long-life Education and its support for implementation in schools. As shown in this research, it has built capacity among teachers, acted as a catalyst for collaborative conversations about school improvement, and focused attention on the importance of improving the achievement levels of all students. The findings from this qualitative study on the pilot implementation of the Framework show that it was instrumental in initiating capacity building among teachers, which in some schools was linked to improvement in student achievement.

A case study was conducted in 2004-2005 on the professional development experiences of beginning teachers (1-5 years of experience) in an Ontario, Canada secondary school (Grades 7-12) and the impact of those experiences in improving their practices. For comparative purposes, the study included the perspectives of administrators from the same school on the impact of professional development on these teachers. The findings revealed that the literacy training program was successfully implemented at the school and positively affected beginning teachers’ knowledge, instructional strategies, and planning practices. Other findings indicated that beginning teachers needed subject content and instructional strategies, ongoing mentoring, and skills in both classroom management and mapping the curriculum. Based on the findings of the study, a new framework for professional development is suggested. A number of recommendations propose ways of connecting research, policy and practice that could ultimately improve the effectiveness of professional development programs for beginning teachers. Key words: teacher professional development, beginning teacher, adult learning, self-efficacy, collective efficacy, supervision, organizational policies and culture

A case study was conducted in 2004-2005 on the professional development experiences of beginning teachers (1-5 years of experience) in an Ontario, Canada secondary school (Grades 7-12) and the impact of those experiences in improving their practices. For comparative purposes, the study included the perspectives of administrators from the same school on the impact of professional development on these teachers. The findings revealed that the literacy training program was successfully implemented at the school and positively affected beginning teachers’ knowledge, instructional strategies, and planning practices. Other findings indicated that beginning teachers needed subject content and instructional strategies, ongoing mentoring, and skills in both classroom management and mapping the curriculum. Based on the findings of the study, a new framework for professional development is suggested. A number of recommendations propose ways of connecting research, policy and practice that could ultimately improve the effectiveness of professional development programs for beginning teachers. Key words: teacher professional development, beginning teacher, adult learning, self-efficacy, collective efficacy, supervision, organizational policies and culture

The changing nature of our classrooms in terms of students’ racial population demands an understanding and validation into the different ways in which various ethnocultural and Aboriginal students respond to schools, classroom environments, curricula, and teaching strategies to ensure academic success. This paper is part of a larger study that examines literacy and diversity in relation to the educational challenges in Ontario schools. The focus of this paper is on a qualitative case study involving twenty educators. The study’s findings reveal educators’ articulations with regards to the connections between equity, diversity and multiple literacies. La nature changeante de nos salles de classe en termes de la population raciale des étudiants exige une compréhension et une validation des différentes manières auxquelles les divers étudiants ethnoculturels et indigènes répondent aux écoles, aux environnements de salle de classe, aux programmes d’études, et aux stratégies d’enseignement pour assurer le succès scolaire. Ce travail fait partie d’une étude plus large qui examine la littératie et la diversité dans les écoles ontariennes par rapport aux défis éducationnels. Le travail met l’accent sur une étude de cas qualitative impliquant vingt éducateurs. L’étude révèle les articulations des éducateurs en ce qui concerne les liens entre l’équité, la diversité et les littératies multiples.