Outlines criteria for system of professional teacher development/retraining: provides for system/individual needs; includes retraining and ongoing development; is cooperative, integrated, accessible; uses principles of adult education; incorporates teacher involvement; and addresses real classroom needs. Considers obstacles of money, skills,…

The Fort McMurray Catholic School District (Alberta) developed a teacher evaluation model based on constructive staff feedback and teacher support. The model includes mentor teachers, peer coaching for teachers and administrators, and ongoing staff development. Plans for research to assess the model's effects on student achievement are discussed.…

The University of Guelph's Office for Educational Practice, an administrative unit for instructional development that relies on faculty volunteer leadership and participation, is described and discussed in the context of research on improvement of instructional effectiveness. (MSE)

The effectiveness of instructional development evaluation programs is assessed. It is suggested that although it is a basic tenet in instructional development that teaching improvement is closely linked to effective evaluation, it is ironical that most instructional development programs have themselves been evaluated only superficially, if at all.…

Current educational research and possible directions for the improvement of second language education in schools are discussed in the light of current Canadian political and economic influences. The Ontario Ministry of Education has proposed three levels of proficiency in French as reasonable objectives to be achieved by secondary schools in their…