The CARES (customer-focused, action-oriented, responsive, empathetic, and service-driven) initiative was launched in AISD in 2018-2019 to bring about a culture of respect and inclusiveness throughout the district. The initiative puts an emphasis on positive customer experiences for families, students and staff members. In the spring of 2020, the…

This article is the final installment in a series of three articles about microaggressions. All of the articles are tailored specifically to help enable faculty developers, provosts and directors of diversity and training, faculty, and administrators to address the most critical issues related to this topic in higher education. Specific responses…

Nestled in the Himalayan Mountains, Bhutan, a Buddhist country, is one of the most isolated nations in the world. After spending a month there, the authors all agreed it deserved its title of "The Last Shangri-La." Their team of professional development specialists spent the summer of 2010 providing professional development in the basic…

From the perspective of attachment theory, this paper discusses individual differences in the quality of caregiving by direct-care staff for persons with intellectual disabilities. Theoretical arguments and findings from related literature are cited to support the probable role of professionals' own attachment experiences and their mental…

A lot has been learned about effective approaches to realizing intended out-of-school time program outcomes. As program practitioners consider fostering evidence-based practices, program administrators, staff, and stakeholders must keep in mind that it is difficult to change behavior overnight, even among children. Efforts to improve outcomes for…

The author describes four models of supervision--administrative, traditional mental health, relationship-based, and mindfulness practice--with their corresponding domains of staff development. Each model's communication style, participant roles, and assumptions of how change occurs provide a framework for understanding the relative needs…

Rural teachers generally have a long-term commitment to teaching, personal ties with and credibility in the community, and a small work-place conducive to promoting necessary staff interaction. A cooperative staff development program is described that is based on the unique circumstances of rural schools. (JD)

Positive management techniques yield great benefits in areas such as group effectiveness, problem solving, and staff commitment. Some qualities for a positive environment are defined. The management retreat process at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is described. (Author/MLW)

This article presents a rationale for the importance of relationships as a focus for training infant/family professionals and paraprofessionals. It describes six innovative training strategies that have been used as part of the ZERO TO THREE/National Center for Clinical Infant Programs' City TOTS (training of trainers) project. (Author/DB)

Pairs of Illinois elementary teachers (previously enrolled in a language arts cooperative development project) formed a partner system involving communication via shared journals to reduce isolation during a staff development project. Participants found the shared journals very effective in sustaining collegiality. The article notes five…

This article argues that supportive teams--including professionals, paraprofessionals, and parents--can teach staff members how to identify and implement best practices in early intervention settings. The authors describe "the seven Rs of team building" distilled from their many years of team building and maintenance: 1) Reading cues; 2) Regular…

The core concept of emotional intelligence is the ever-emerging process of self-awareness, where individuals are able to identify their emotions and manage them in various social environments. This capacity is viewed as an asset in child care because new insights in human development have highlighted the importance of children's social and…

As practitioners and scholars working at a university-based training institute, the authors believe that adults working in youth development programs and helping youth gain an ethical understanding of the world must themselves adopt some principles of ethical practice and use them to practice three habits in their professional work: personal…

Findings from a project that utilized student input in the restructuring of school practices are presented in this paper. The 6-month doctoral project was implemented in an urban middle school. Methodology was based on solicitation of student input about classroom practices and data collection of school and departmental issues, which resulted in…

A series of sessions were devised to assist nursing home personnel to effectively help residents in nursing homes. Four sessions were scheduled over one month, one week apart. All levels of employees were involved in the series. The sessions were planned so participants had opportunities to practice and discuss the skills taught in each session.…