Budget dollars for teacher professional development can be scarce, particularly in these economic times. Evaluating the quality of the professional development options available is more critical than ever. The Exemplary Science Monograph Series has updated Best Practices in Professional Development with a revised second edition.
The 14 professional development programs are presented in a series of essays that detail the real-life models that can serve as exemplars for districts and schools.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) advocate for achieving teaching excellence with teachers who:

1. Understand and respond to an individual student’s interests, strengths, experiences, and needs;
2. Select and adapt the curriculum;
3. Focus on student understanding and use of scientific knowledge, ideas, and inquiry processes;
4. Guide students in active and extended scientific inquiries;
5. Provide opportunities for scientific discussion and debate among students;
6. Continuously assess student understanding (and involve students in the process);
7. Share responsibility for learning with students;
8. Support a classroom community with cooperation, shared responsibility, and respect; and
9. Work with other teachers to enhance the science program.

The editors for this monograph, Susan B. Koba and Brenda S. Wojnowski, organize the book into an overview of the need for quality professional development, several chapters highlighting exemplars of professional development, systemic approaches to teacher learning and change processes, and a reader’s guide to the book for professional learning communities, university classrooms, and other collaborative settings.
The reflective questions at the end of each chapter make this book a useful tool for science leaders, professional developers, and university instructors.
The entire Exemplary Science Monograph series is available either as a set or individual volumes.