Highlights the grants awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities to schools and colleges that serve minority communities in rural areas and inner cities, including Younger Scholars, Independent Study in the Humanities, and Teacher-Scholar fellowships; summer seminars and institutes for teachers and administrators; and masterwork study…

Community colleges have moved from a period of rapid growth to one of retrenchment, in which junior faculty members are often laid off and new faculty members are not being hired. The community colleges now have an experienced faculty, most at the apex of their careers, but who, in many disciplines, do not necessarily fit student enrollment…

College faculty and administrations must work together to eliminate barriers to instructional improvement (such as resistance to self-evaluation and classroom observation) and create effective programs. Programs imposed on faculty will be threatening but those devised cooperatively will focus on the benefits of self-improvement. (MSE)

The availability of several effective teaching models that allow the teaching of thinking skills and subject matter simultaneously proves that intellectual processes and content are not incompatible subjects for instruction. These models differ significantly from traditional models, and adequate training in them will require a thorough commitment…

The excellence of a school lies in the way it directs itself--particularly its professional staff--to improve performance. To meet its obligation to be ever self-improving, the faculty should focus on studying students, creating tailored learning experiences, evaluating long-term school effects, and encouraging diversity. (PGD)

Reports conclusions reached from the observation of inservice education efforts in three states and a number of federal projects as well as from a review of the literature. Discusses six characteristics of effective inservice programs, the persistent problems that impede program success, effective practices, and future issues. (Author/WD)

Discusses scholarship in the humanities, arguing for a broader definition of scholarship. Discusses intrinsic motivations for pursuing scholarly activities, the importance of institutional support, the value of consortia, and the role of external funding agencies. (DMM)

If teachers are to use computers in the classroom or train students to use computers, they must first be trained themselves. This training should provide knowledge of educational computer applications, computer terms and operations, courseware evaluation techniques, and elementary programing skills. An ongoing staff development program should also…

Suggests ways of judging teacher performance based on the five basic steps in the teacher evaluation process: (1) gathering information and making judgments; (2) holding the evaluation conference; (3) identifying areas needing improvement; (4) providing assistance; and (5) guiding the teacher out of teaching if improvement cannot be made.…

A discussion of the dental school administrator's mentoring role looks specifically at the administrator's responsibility in creating an environment fostering faculty growth and productivity. The mentoring administrator is a central, integral, and positive force within the department and school, using teaching, facilitating, and coaching rather…

Examines the parallels, and common goals and characteristics, between staff development and curriculum development and discusses the implications these parallels have for staff developers. (GLR)

As part of the process of redefining institutional growth and vitality, the Dallas Community College District is attempting to become a "learning society," that is, an institution which is capable of on-going critical self-examination, which is process-oriented, and which encourages the development of new ideas. The major components…

This chapter addresses the relationship between three different approaches to educational improvement--instructional development (ID), organizational development (OD), and faculty development (FD). These three approaches are related to each other using the concept of readiness for innovation, and a spiral relationship is postulated: an individual,…

An examination is provided of the limitations and the characteristics of community college honors programs. Introductory comments point to the potential of honors programs as one of the few opportunities for mid-career community college faculty desiring growth within a traditional institutional framework, while characterizing most existing…

The institution, disciplines, and academic profession as a whole can enhance or inhibit vitality. A critical analysis reveals that despite many advances, a comprehensive professionalism has been compromised and must be restored. Professional development practices noted by Centra (1976) and Uwalaka (1985) are listed. (Author/MSE)