Teachers and school district administrators, particularly in the United States, are increasingly turning to teacher virtual professional development (VPD) to stay current and learn new pedagogical knowledge and skills. With more English learners (ELs) entering public school classrooms, it is essential to find effective ways to prepare educators to meet the needs of these students. The authors examined the improvement of Texas in-service teachers' English as a second language (ESL) pedagogical and content knowledge after participating in a VPD program designed for developing teachers' ESL instructional capacity. Chi-square analyses were conducted with participant pre- and post-survey data (n=61). Results indicated a significant improvement in teacher knowledge after program completion. There was no difference in teachers' knowledge gains based on their school district location. These findings are in line with other researchers who have found improvement in terms of teacher knowledge and instructional practices after participation in VPD.

Globally, much of the criticism has been directed at the quality of university-based teacher education in preparing teachers for impoverished schools. Drawing on data from an incentive program of teacher education in China, the authors comparatively investigated the field experiences of pre-service teachers from contrasting setting (urban and rural schools). Under the perspective of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, the study focused on participants' perception of teaching practicum and how well the program had prepared them for rural schools. The particular attention has been paid to whether the less-successful teaching practicum, such as lack of knowledge and skills of instructing diverse students, influenced pre-service teachers' commitment to teach in rural schools. We found pre-service teachers who taught in urban schools reported more positive field experiences and higher teaching commitment than those in rural places. The rural per-service teachers have reported more difficulties in linking their college courses with actual practice and settings. The policy implications for rural teacher preparation have been discussed as well.