Language teacher education is widely identified as one of the most important areas that needs addressing in order to improve early language instruction, yet research into teacher education for early language teachers remains relatively sparse. This volume responds to this gap by compiling studies with diverse methodological tenets from a wide…

This practicum was designed to provide teaching professionals with advocacy information, skills, techniques, and resources in order to increase participant awareness and self-confidence, and, ultimately, their community involvement. The primary method used to address this goal was the development and presentation of three workshops. These were…

A ten-step approach is presented by which two teachers can implement their own team teaching arrangement. Advantages, disadvantages, planning, scheduling, and room design are considered. (SJL)

This paper describes the development of an assessment method for elementary education students at North Central Bible College. The context in which performance assessment was introduced is discussed, and groundwork and planning of the assessment strategy, involving the education department as a whole, is described. The process of defining the…

Teachers, principals, and other educational leaders in the United States were asked what is being done, what works, and what can be used to build a successful parent-teacher team. Here are the results--hundreds of workable ideas organized into a four-part process that combines the best from schools across America. (Author/RK)

This comprehensive guide discusses how to design staff development in science and math. It is tailored specifically to the needs of individual schools or departments. Vignettes from real schools illustrate concepts within the book. The book provides 15 strategies for professional development and describes each one with its underlying assumptions…

Successful strategies for planning an inservice or staff development project in an individual school involve the following: planning and preparing, enlisting support, implementing the activity, and evaluating the results. (CB)

This document provides resources and tools for program developers who are designing orientations to meet the specific needs of their novice teachers. Section one looks at key questions for program developers to consider when designing an orientation (what they want beginning teachers to know about the community, district, school, and job). Section…

This paper is intended to provide a basis for discussion about staff development in the mathematics education community. It is directed to those who plan staff development programs intended to improve elementary mathematics teachers' classroom practice. Discussion includes the importance of establishing program goals and considerations of the…

The 10 Technical Assistance Manuals compiled in this document were produced under cooperative agreements between the Utah State Office of Education and several school districts. Each module, an entity unto itself, is designed to assist classroom teachers with developing behavioral and educational strategies, concentrating on the objectives,…

A conceptual framework that provides a mechanism for anticipating the worth and potential success of staff development activities, in advance of their implementation, is described. In the first section, descriptions are given of the four main components of the staff development framework: defining staff development, salient organizational…

This paper offers suggestions on how to help new teachers during their first year of teaching by offering a mentorship program with an established teacher on the school staff. A mentor is someone to whom the first-year teacher can turn during all the turbulence that is part of beginning any career, but especially for a beginning teacher in a…

In order to create a computer-literate elementary school, this practicum aimed (1) to provide information about computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to all kindergarten through grade 5 teachers while developing a prototypical classroom in grade 2; (2) to increase community awareness of CAI; and (3) to encourage quality networking among educators…

Convinced that the results of educational research generated over the past two decades could be of practical value to teachers, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) decided that the union could develop a dissemination mechanism designed to bridge the gap between research and practice. The National Institute of Education funded an AFT proposal…

This policy paper summarizes the research on change and effective staff development to drive an outcomes-based, results oriented approach to increase student success. The paper provides a discussion of the following ideas necessary for practice: (1) participants must be involved in planning and developing training; (2) training must be relevant,…