A principal can provide support for beginning teachers by gaining specific knowledge of each teacher's curriculum, by developing rapport, and by encouraging teachers in seven key areas. Rapport is built with friendly, solicitous behavior and a lot of listening; it can be destroyed by too much criticism, insensitivity, and aloofness. A principal…

Becoming a member of any organization involves socialization. When teachers move, change work groups, or transfer, they must be "reinducted" or "resocialized" to fit into the new environment. Administrators should recognize two important differences between beginning and relocated teachers--the mindset each brings to the first year of service and…

Suggestions for first-year teacher guidance and orientation by principals are offered in this bulletin. Principals' basic assumptions about teacher orientation should focus on direct assistance or assistance through colleagues to support their development. Recommendations stress positive reinforcement, collegial support, and providing…

Recent statistics show that nationwide about 50 percent of new teachers leave the profession within their first six years of teaching. In an effort to encourage the persistence of new teachers and to enhance their productivity and competence in the classroom, many school districts have begun supportive programs for the beginning teacher, known as…

Over the past 2 decades community colleges have developed an increasing reliance on the use of part-time faculty, generally rationalizing the practice as an important strategy for saving money and maintaining flexibility. Critics have seen the extensive use of part-timers as a disturbing trend, and several groups have attempted to set limits on…

This quarterly publication serves as a medium for the exchange of ideas regarding the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of professional development practices at two- and four-year colleges. The four issues in volume 12 feature the following articles: (1) "The Course Syllabus Reexamined," by James O. Hammons and Jackson R. Shock; (2)…