The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of female superintendents as they relate to job satisfaction and retention. State department of education websites were consulted to obtain the number of women superintendents by state for 2015. From the list, 3,364 women superintendents were identified. The women represent 25% of U.S.…

This article considers another group of educators involved with the adoption of model-based instruction (MBI)--the cooperating teachers, who supervise physical education teacher education (PETE) student teachers in the Georgia State University (GSU) program. The university spends several semesters educating preservice teachers about the skills and…

The purpose of this chapter is to advance the concept of pedagogical content knowledge in a manner that would better align it with the integrative type of knowledge needed by teachers at all three stages (preservice teachers, induction teachers, and cooperating teachers), allowing them to use model-based instruction (MBI) most effectively in…

According to a study of 20 outstanding principals, administrators valued as instructional leaders value their role as staff developers, view their key function as facilitator, and are driven by a clear vision for the school. These principals view themselves as role models for continual growth, are self-assured, and open to change. (eight…

This report presents concepts, procedures, and instruments to be used in studying staff development in educational settings. The report has been structured as a set of guidelines designed to help state agencies, county offices, teacher centers, universities, school districts, and local school faculties collaborate in investigating the dynamics of…

This study was undertaken to provide information to policymakers and school administrators about the process of staff development in desegregated schools, characteristics of staff development programs, and district level perceptions of staff development. The study was based on data collected during field visits to 16 desegregated school districts.…

Interview with Thomas Guskey examines the benefits of staff development, presenting reasons for interest in the topic, advice for educators who want to trace the impact of staff development programs on participants and students, and the need for staff developers to identify some targets and monitor movement toward the targets. (SM)

The Gallup Organization offers the Urban Teachers Perceiver Interview as a systematic, focused, and organized approach to the staff selection and development process. Outstanding teachers rate high on commitment, dedication, individualized perception, caring, involvement with students, empathy, positivity, student advocacy, student stimulation…

Background: School health education can effectively help reduce the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among students and have a positive influence on students' academic performance. This article describes the characteristics of school health education policies and programs in the United States at the state, district, school, and classroom…

This study evaluated the School-Based Staff Development (SBSD) pilot project of the Scarborough (Ontario) Board of Education. The evaluation is based on interviews with representatives of the eight elementary and four secondary schools participating in the project. Findings indicated that: (1) schools were extremely positive in their response to…

The goal of the Ways to Improve Education in Desegregated Schools (WIEDS) project is to establish a regional information base for the southwestern United States (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) concerning successful desegregation strategies and remaining areas of need in desegregated schools. Such information…

Michael Kirst argues that staff developers need to develop a clear set of policy positions and specific strategies to influence policymakers, noting that policymakers have traditionally held staff development in low esteem. The paper presents suggestions for what staff developers can do to further their cause. (SM)

Judy Schrag, director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), discusses the OSEP grant competition for personnel preparation in rural special education, rural dimensions of OSEP initiatives, and rural-urban differences in problems affecting special education and in approaches to mainstreaming disabled students. (SV)

This article presents a discussion of field utilization of staff development activities in the context of three separate training programs. Specifically, classroom implementation of knowledge and skills gained by participants in their training sessions was assessed via the Levels of Use (LoU) interview system. (Author/LMO)

The Center for Instructional Research and Curriculum Evaluation (CIRCE) was commissioned by the Chicago (Illinois) Teachers Academy for Mathematics and Science to conduct an internal evaluation of their programs. Academy managers wanted documentation of Academy efforts in the schools that they served. The CIRCE team left it to other evaluation…