A principal who took time out to teach one class found the insights he gained to be immeasurable. (IRT)

This booklet examines teachers' professional development from the standpoint of several recent reform reports, particularly the concept of the career ladder. A critique of this model serves as a reference point for an alternative approach to professional development called the "Career Lattice Model". This individualized model for growth…

Betty Dillon-Peterson, the director of staff development for the Lincoln (Nebraska) schools, relates key experiences which shaped her career and also her views about how staff developers can work effectively. She advocates design of a special course of study for staff developers. (PP)

A model for an integrated systems approach to staff evaluation and staff development. (MLF)

The Professional Growth and Staff Development Program of the Mehlville School District in St. Louis, Missouri, is comprehensive in nature and has four distinct but complementary components. (1) The districtwide instructional improvement component focuses upon research-based teaching, and provides teachers and administrators with a common body of…

Describes six ways an English supervisor or any other instructional leader can reach beyond the school system to learn about current practices in the field. (HOD)

Examines research about the effectiveness of professional development. Procedural guidelines drawn from research on individual and organizational change provide a framework for developing the optimal mix of professional development processes and technologies for specific contexts at particular points in time. The potential impact of implementing…

As part of a long-term inquiry into the nature of staff development, 300 interviews focused on teachers' use of formal development opportunities, informal interactions with other professionals, and personally directed growth activities. The relationships between teachers' growth levels and the social systems of schools are discussed. (Author/MLF)

This paper examines the experiences of seven new faculty at a charter school of education at California State University Los Angeles. The seven new professors in the study were asked to engage in ethnographic interviews that described and categorized their experiences, and contrasted them with other events. Interview questions focused on:…

A staff development program in a Vermont school district relies heavily on teachers' self-appraisal and their desire for self-improvement. To assist teachers, the district has invited university instructors to teach graduate-level courses in the schools, hired consultants to speak, arranged workshops, and organized summer institutes. (MLF)

Argues that staff development in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States is flawed in practice, representing a consumer market in which "proof of purchase" substitutes for investment in school improvement or individual development. A policy model for investment in school improvement is proposed. (SLD)

A process of decision making and professional growth is described as a tool for refocusing on individual growth for professional development and redefining the relationship between professional development and organizational outcomes. Refocusing on individual professional growth is an intervention aimed at reconceptualizing the linking…

A staff developer summarizes the impact of several formative experiences on his career and professional outlook. Through his work as a Colorado state science curriculum consultant and his participation in various state and national organizations, he learned the importance of forming collegial relationships and networks to effect change. (PP)

The author, a private educational consultant in Michigan, traces the influence of early experiences, positive and negative role models, and various jobs on his career development. As a counselor and teacher trainer, he was particularly concerned with teacher burnout and stress. (PP)

Research in staff development and in teacher career development provides useful information so that staff development programs can be tailored to accommodate teachers' needs at different career stages. Findings of studies on staff development have identified characteristics of successful inservice programs. Collaboration between all participants…