To stem the tide of students dropping out, many schools and districts are turning to early warning systems (EWS) that signal whether a student is at risk of not graduating from high school. While some research exists about establishing these systems, there is little information about the actual implementation strategies that are being used across…

The Long Beach Fire Department (California), developed a program to foster and improve the development of future fire department managers who are promoted from within the department. A 10-day orientation program was developed. The competency-based program featured a mix of management-leadership training (the nature of leadership, personnel…

Setting organizational or program objectives is seen as requiring three steps (brainstorming goals for the year, prioritizing them, and visualizing them as smaller, discrete tasks) and six principles (making goals group-specific, setting deadlines, being realistic and explicit, writing down goals, defining measurable steps, and creating…

Intended for educational leaders, this three-section monograph presents information and perspectives regarding support given to beginning teachers. The first section reviews a variety of perspectives on the purposes that teacher induction programs can serve. Among the perspectives discussed are those based on studies of beginning teachers'…

The major purposes of this literature review were to locate and describe existing programs that assist beginning teachers, and to describe the evaluation of these programs. Of particular interest was literature in which the problems of beginning teachers were described. Literature covering the following topics is reviewed: (1) why extended teacher…

The lists presented in this volume include individuals and institutions that may serve as resources to educators developing or modifying programs to assist beginning teachers. These lists were generated by contracts made in the course of the study of induction programs for beginning teachers. The first list is of locations and directors of the…

Discusses the planning and preparation necessary to make field trips economically justifiable and educationally worthwhile. Student orientations and positive motivation are essential for successful fieldtrips. A description of a well-planned field trip to Rockport, Massachusetts, for a high school portfolio art class is included. (AM)

Describes one department's experience with curriculum development through the formulation of a departmental mission statement reflecting the shared sociological goals of faculty and students. Discusses the process of achieving consensus, the actual mission statement, and the curricular and program implications of such a process. (KO)

Planning can help college public relations officials make the most of their time and energy. One approach includes reviewing institutional mission and strategic plan; setting department goals; identifying and targeting audiences; establishing interdepartmental links; and setting out action, crisis, budget, and evaluation plans in writing. (MSE)

An "orientation" checklist is proposed to aid the adult basic education (ABE) teacher in preparing for instruction. The list reflects a number of issues teachers should consider carefully before meeting with students. The issues concern (1) information about the learners and their characteristics and needs that can be taken into account in…

The Digest of Helping Programs presented in this volume describes exemplary support programs for beginning teachers in the United States. Twenty-four programs are included, of which four are described in considerable detail. Comprehensive descriptions are given of the following programs: (1) The Stanford University Intern Program; (2) The Resident…

This book explores the reasons that beginning teachers struggle and provides research-based plans for helping them make the most of their initial teaching years. It proposes Beginning Teacher Assistance Programs (BTAPs) as a practical strategy for success. BTAPs draw on the knowledge and expertise of teachers, principals, central office…

An orientation program for 110 incoming housestaff was implemented at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Residents received instruction in large-group teaching skills, bedside teaching, small-group discussion, and student evaluation. The program was rated positively by residents.…

Issues in the development of appropriate curricula for elementary students who are mildly mentally retarded are discussed. Emphasis is on the concept of "subsequent environments as an attitude" and on variables that may influence vertical (e.g., preschool and middle school transitions) and horizontal (including social and curricular integration)…

The purpose of this book is to help practitioners and policy makers understand how important it is to assist beginning teachers, and what it involves in terms of policy, procedures, pitfalls, personnel, price in time and money, and prospects. The book is divided into the following chapters: (1) "Beginning Teacher Assistance Programs: An…