Today's ever-changing learning environment is characterized by the fast pace of technology that drives our society to move forward, and causes our knowledge to increase at an exponential rate. The need for in-depth research that is bound to generate new knowledge about curriculum and program development is becoming ever more relevant.…

This handbook of guidelines is intended to explain the sum and substance of the evaluation process and to guide a planning committee in designing an evaluation program. The evaluation process discussed is termed "evaluation by objectives." The guidelines for implementing evaluation by objectives have five steps: diagnosing current…

An overview of the competency-based teacher education (CBTE) program at the University of Houston is provided through a "walking tour" of its facilities and a presentation of the program rationale and design. Part 1 presents sketches of brief scenes in the college of education and an elementary school where students complete their field…

An attempt is made in this book to make teachers aware of some informal techniques which can be used to diagnose strengths and weaknesses in the language arts abilities of students. The techniques are economical in the use of time but are fairly comprehensive in the information gathered. They have been tested and refined by more than 1,000…

This book presents a guide for setting up a new teacher mentoring program. Chapter 1, "Relating," stresses the important part a relationship plays in the mentoring process. A set of introspective exercises teaches ways to establish trust and pay attention to nonverbal communication. Chapter 2, "Assessing," provides ways to gather and diagnose data…

This document contains nine essays which provide guidelines and directions for implementing competency-based teacher education (CBTE) programs. Selections include the following: (a) "Characteristics of Competency-based Teacher Education Programs;" (b) "The Development of a Comprehensive Competency-Based Teacher Education Program: A Model for…

For the purposes of this booklet, staff development is defined as "all those learning activities organized, conducted, and funded by the local school district that are designed to improve the on-the-job performance of district employees." Comprehensive school district staff development programs provide activities focusing on curriculum and…

One of a series of monographs to encourage reexamination of evaluation issues and perspectives about schools and schooling, this booklet is a statement on teacher education, teacher accountability, evaluation, and the teacher as researcher. Included are an introduction and five subsequent sections: (1) Educational Jargon; (2) The Open Education…

This guide presents current research and thinking about teacher evaluation and combines that research with practice. Chapters contain illustrations and examples to make a research-practice connection and present a comprehensive approach to designing, implementing, and monitoring quality teacher-evaluation systems. Chapters include: (1) "Improving…

This book focuses on the how-to of developing Professional Development Schools (PDSs) without external funding, challenges of developing such partnerships, and benefits of PDSs to schools and universities. The nine chapters are: (1) "Creating a New Institution" (Nate Essex, Vivian Gunn Morris, Marty M. Harrison, and Fred Johnson); (2)…

This book is intended to serve as a sourcebook that provides descriptions of some of the best and most popular school- and classroom-improvement programs in America. It offers a comprehensive framework for selecting and adapting these programs to address a local school's particular needs. It was also designed to help school leaders understand and…

Highly practical and accessible, this indispensable book provides clear-cut strategies for improving K-12 writing instruction. The contributors are leading authorities who demonstrate proven ways to teach different aspects of writing, with chapters on planning, revision, sentence construction, handwriting, spelling, and motivation. The use of the…

To address the need for information on techniques and theory on the evaluation of composition instruction, this book has been revised to incorporate the most recent thinking on the topic. It begins with suggestions for how readers of different backgrounds can make best use of the book, followed by an introduction. The first chapter deals with…