This paper presents a systems approach based on the work of W. Edwards Deming to system wide, high impact staff development. Deming has pointed out the significance of structure in systems. By restructuring the process of staff development we can bring about cost effective improvement of the whole system. We can improve student achievement while…

Monkeys are the problems that need solutions, the tasks that need to be accomplished, the decisions that need to be made, and the actions that need to be taken. According to a theory, people carry monkeys around on their backs until they can successfully shift their burden to someone else and the monkey leaps from one back to the next. Managers…

Transforming an entire district from one that is satisfied with being academically good enough into one keenly focused on improved student performance requires overhaul that reaches from end to end, from building to building, from bottom to top. Leaders in Birdville Independent School District in Fort Worth, Texas, learned that applying five…

Advocating development for all continuing education staff, the author asserts that staff who understand adult education theory, the goals and visions of the organization, the environmental context of continuing education, and the roles of other staff members will be more effective. Also essential are support mechanisms that facilitate change. (SK)

As a site-based, participatory management project being implemented in 15 schools throughout Delaware, RE:Learning is a natural extension of the collegial relationships established over the past 10 years between local schools and districts and the State Department of Public Instruction. Success hinges on a periodic school review process and a…

Quality Circles are a participative management technique allowing employees opportunities to participate in decisionmaking and problem-solving processes at work. A Wisconsin vocational school successfully implemented Quality Circles with management and nonmanagement staff participating. (MD)

Whereas the laissez-faire approach merely tells each teacher to do what he or she thinks best, the principal moving toward empowerment charges a group of teachers with devising the best decision for all. A Maryland elementary school used the Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement staff development plan as a big step toward preparing teachers…

Analyzes the importance of staff development (broadly defined as anything that enables teachers to learn) and considers different development structures. Describes the role and duties of staff developer at a Cambridge, Massachusetts, elementary school as well as its "teacher teams," groups of instructors who meet monthly to discuss…

Describes the Birmingham (Michigan) Public Schools' morale-boosting program. First the superintendent established a district communications team (composed of administrators, teachers, and noncertified staff members) to plan morale-building events. The district also hired a consultant to work with staff and students to improve specific aspects of…

Discusses the characteristics of unsuccessful attempts to implement collegial supervision (teachers helping teachers through feedback and advice) in schools, and discusses the insights these characteristics provide. Discusses one successful collegial supervision program. (SR)

Developing a model to improve student academic learning time and achievement and to develop local resources to continue the program after the funding period required a staff development program that enabled teachers to use specific direct instruction teaching behaviors. The staff development program is described and recommendations are made. (MT)

Within an individual building, the School Improvement Process (SIP) provides a focus for staff development and an evaluation of results that are linked to student outcomes. SIP emphasizes a building level, bottom-up planning and decision-making process. This article presents a case study of an individual school's use of SIP. (IAH)

Lawrence (Kansas) Public Schools has discovered that four components--clear expectations, focus on results, effective support systems, and good modeling--have substantially helped staff keep pace with constant societal and educational changes. The program's success may be attributed to six components: a professional development council,…

The Advisory Model of Staff Development, developed in the Jackson (Mississippi) Public School System, consists of three primary components, each interacting with the others. The System-Wide Staff Development plan is prepared by a committee composed of teachers, administrators, school-board members and laypersons. This insures equity of staff…

The article details aspects of a collaborative administrative style in a special school for gifted children, describing the function of administrators and other adults as role models, the sharing and delegation of decision making, a team approach to professional growth and support, and accountability through a "rich rules" system.…