Many paraeducators have no formal education beyond high school and are provided with minimal training once on the job. Furthermore, as more schools turn to inclusionary practices, the impetus for highly qualified paraeducators becomes more important. However, little research has examined efficient ways to train paraeducators who work in inclusive…

Recent momentum to develop a trauma-informed education system provides an important opportunity for Pennsylvania schools. About two out of every three school-age children are likely to experience at least one traumatic event, such as abuse, neglect, or exposure to violence, by age 17. The effects of traumatic stress can include negative impacts on…

This article examined the literature on best practices in content-specific professional development and then aligns this work with the practices of a citywide afterschool chess program run by After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP) in Philadelphia. School teachers, out-of-school time (OST) staff, and youth workers readied themselves to think…

With nearly a million paraprofessionals working in elementary and secondary schools (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013), ensuring they are well prepared and supported is essential to their and their students' success. Paraprofessionals work closely with classroom teachers to support students from special populations and are typically supervised by…

21st century classrooms are different from the traditional high school classroom. The teacher is not the focal point of learning and the students take the lead role. Technology integration is a major component to this shift in teaching style. The inclusion of technology into the classroom and how it influences teaching practice and student…

This qualitative study via an action research design explored adjunct faculty pedagogical perceptions at Butler County Community College (BC3) in Butler, Pennsylvania. Based on a preliminary study by the researcher, adjunct survey data was analyzed to determine if there was a need for pedagogy training and, if so, what adjuncts believed that…

This guide contains 55 articles written by adult basic education (ABE) practitioners in Pennsylvania suggesting ways to improve teaching and program administration in the field. The guide is organized into four parts: (1) working together for program improvement, (2) teaching and learning, (3) developing as a professional and (4) appendixes (high…

A project was conducted to continue to provide adult educators in Pennsylvania with information about adults with learning differences and techniques for their instruction. Five new training sessions were developed as part of the project: (1) accommodating adults with learning disabilities; (2) if they think differently, shouldn't they study…

A project provided more than 800 adult educators in Pennsylvania with a wide range of staff development activities and instructional strategies for teaching students with learning differences and multilevel abilities in the same classroom. It established a model for staff development that built upon previous projects and used a variety of delivery…

This document contains the final report of Project PAL (Pennsylvania Adult Literacy), designed to address staff development needs at a Pennsylvania adult literacy center, and three manuals: a tutor training resource manual for use by coordinators in developing a 9.5 hour tutor-training session, a tutor handbook for volunteers, and a coordinator's…

This project provided adult educators in Pennsylvania with information about adults with learning differences and training in the use of alternative instructional techniques. Although the majority of training was conducted through presentations, many more adult educators were affected by the project through the information provided in the Learning…

This report summarizes the progress made by schools participating in the Northeast (Pennsylvania) Chapter 1 Program Improvement Task Force during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 school years. The first section gives an overview of project activities, and the second presents a summary of what each school team accomplished in the school years studied. The…

A study of data on 6,846 adult literacy education students in Pennsylvania gathered information on student characteristics, instructional settings, teaching methods, and program and policy needs. Results indicate that about 34% of the students were Hispanic, 31% were Indochinese, and 21% were from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.…

The intent of the second-year project was to (1) provide inservice training in competencies needed by vocational teachers to teach special needs students, (2) field test teachers' modules developed by the University of Pittsburgh, (3) establish the need and mode of delivery of vocational special needs inservice, and (4) develop a system of…

A project was undertaken to develop an inservice staff development program for vocational teachers working with disadvantaged students in local school districts in Pennsylvania. The focus of the inservice activity was on the improvement of instructional approaches such as individualized instruction, teaching and reteaching, small group…