Fishbowl coaching is where a coach and a teacher engage in a coaching session while other coaches observe the live interaction. While the conversation is happening, the other coaches take notes and prepare feedback to share after the conversation. Coaches learn from each other about how to structure and lead meaningful conversations that they can…

Achieving coherence and integration across staff professional development activities is facilitated when training, coaching and staff evaluation are guided by a clearly articulated program theory or "theory of change" that describes how skillful practice promotes desired outcomes. We focus on a theory of change for wraparound, a widely implemented…

In this "FastFacts," a state asks the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) to recommend experts in the field of assessing young children who are English Language Learners (ELL) to train administrators and psychologists working in district preschool programs for young children with special needs? This is particularly…

Developing vocational education is a necessity for the economic and social development of high-poverty areas in China. But vocational education in impoverished areas lacks social recognition and faces funding shortages, along with difficulties in recruiting students. Vocational high schools themselves also have shortcomings. This article considers…

Digital educational games (DEGs) possess the potential of providing an appealing and intrinsically motivating learning context. Usually this potential is either taken for granted or examined through questionnaires or interviews in the course of evaluation studies. However, an "adaptive" game would increase the probability of a DEG being…

The best kind of learning is that which never ends--and a culture of training means that staff will be more flexible and responsive to new ideas and strategies, imperative in today's libraries. In this practical resource, leading workplace trainers Reed and Signorelli offer guidance on improving the effectiveness of training programs. Their book…

The academic and behavioral difficulties exhibited by students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) provide educators with unique challenges. The Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education estimated that 40% of the 400,000 special education paraeducators presently employed nationwide are assigned to classrooms for children with EBD.…

Many parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reported general discontent with the services offered by the education system and have advocated for increased ASD-specific services to better meet their children's educational needs. The elements of best practice offer an ideal model for educational support. There are, however,…

The Sloan Pillars have set the standard for university-wide online learning program assessment for more than a dozen years. In this paper, the authors propose the extension of the Pillars to corporate e-learning, offering an alternative to traditional enterprise learning assessments. Claiming that conventional methods stress individual courses or…

Evaluation can be a complicated, time-consuming process. It is no wonder so many organizations resist doing it. In this article, the author outlines the steps in the evaluation process and presents sample questions in each step. The author also defines and exemplifies the components for a successful evaluation strategy.

Describes a system in which each issue of a high school newspaper is critiqued by the former faculty adviser on the day it is published and is then discussed in a session involving staff members and the former and current advisers. (GT)

Assessment, particularly formative assessment, is critical to knowing how a student is performing academically and how best to support that student. Teachers, especially new teachers, need ongoing support in developing and using both summative and formative assessments as an integral part of their instructional practice. Written collaboratively by…

Describes a library staff inservice day developed at the Oak Lawn (Illinois) Public Library to meet the needs of a staff with diverse ages, interests, and duties. Recommends offering a variety of sessions that staff may choose from, provides examples, and includes a summary of evaluation results. (LRW)

Describes a problem-focused audit used to measure the impact of a staff development offering on pain relief. Concludes that the audit provided concrete evidence that the class on pain did influence nursing practice and affected patients directly. (NRJ)

Reasons for frustrations surrounding needs assessment in organizations are examined. Action strategies are paired with three of the root causes of obstacles to effective assessment: (1) flawed needs assessments; (2) no organizational support; and (3) inadequate expertise assigned to the effort. A sidebar presents four possible causes linked to…