In the annals of child development, there's a legendary story about an Olympic athlete who once spent a day trying to mimic the movements of a young child. After a morning of crawling, toddling, playing peek-a-boo, and exploring the universe through all his senses, the well-conditioned athlete was begging for a nap.

I know just how he feels. On the days when I get to visit classrooms where good things are happening, I do my best to keep pace with the teachers who make it all happen. They are a tireless bunch. Following them around with my notepad and camera, I am amazed by how they manage to segue from one topic and teachable moment to the next. They circulate throughout the room so that every child has a chance for one-on-one attention. They typically have a game plan for how the day will unfold but are wise enough to revise it on the fly to accommodate unexpected opportunities or obstacles to their students' learning. While these site visits tend to leave me gasping by the afternoon recess, the teachers sail through the day with grace, good humor, and an eagerness to keep learning new ways to help their students succeed.

How do they manage? What helps good teachers thrive and continue to sharpen their classroom skills throughout their careers? Those are some of the questions we explore in this issue of Northwest Education.

Professional development is hardly a new topic in education. But it's becoming increas ingly important as education reformers recognize that teachers are the key to school improvement.

It's no accident, then, that the stories in this issue focus on what helps teachers learn. We start by looking at what researchers know about effective professional development. Then, we embark on a tour of some exceptional staff development programs across the Northwest. They differ in the specifics, but all of them view teachers as active learners and full partners in school improvement. Two institutions in the region — the district in Edmonds, Washington, and Warm Springs Elementary School in Oregon — have won recognition from the U.S. Department of Education for their professional development models. In northern Idaho, and Portland, Oregon, other models are being used with success to deepen teachers' classroom skills. Finally, we visit two teachers whose quest for knowledge has taken them far beyond the borders of the Northwest.

So take a deep breath and join us for a classroom journey that promises to be exhilarating, exhausting, and inspiring. For good teachers, it's all in a day's work.

— Suzie Boss
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