A study was made of 17 successful "professional assisters" to examine patterns of successful assistance and to convert that understanding of effective behaviors into training materials to support staff development activities. Training modules were created to address skill clusters for which practical materials were needed. (MT)

This four-volume reference guide includes descriptions of various sources of information as well as selected products and methods used to improve curriculum and instruction. The sources are arranged according to type (bibliography, journal, or organization) and each is assigned a separate entry number. The entries are listed in numerical order in…

A frequent criticism of education in the United States today is that teachers are not challenging and teaching students to think beyond the simple task of recalling information. In response to this criticism, during the school year of 1986-1987, the Delaware Department of Public Instruction and local school districts provided a staff development…

The participant material masters from 14 modules in the "Facilitator's Guide to Staff Training for the Rural America Series" have been compiled in this document, to facilitate duplication. Items of interest may be duplicated in quantity by a variety of methods requiring a minimum of time, effort, and expense. All pages have been…

One of a series to aid facilitators who train rural career guidance program staff, this module emphasizes the importance of planning in the development of a comprehensive career guidance program. A conceptual model for a planning and implementation cycle is presented, examined, and applied to the initial steps of program planning. Topics addressed…

The transparency masters appearing in 14 modules in the "Facilitator's Guide to Staff Training for the Rural America Series" have been compiled in this document to facilitate their duplication and to insure the integrity of the entire system by placing an extra copy of each transparency in a binder for easy access. The masters are in the…

A frequent criticism of education in the United States today is that teachers are not challenging and teaching students to think beyond the simple task of recalling information. In response to this criticism, during the school year of 1986-1987, the Delaware Department of Public Instruction and local school districts provided a staff development…

This facilitator training guide, part of a series of 18 components, describes the needs assessment process as an essential feature of successful rural career guidance program planning. It is designed to provide participants with the skills necessary to conduct a local needs assessment and to identify student needs for career guidance programming.…

To have an effective career guidance and counseling program, it is necessary to know and use pertinent resources. This module provides facilitator guidelines for training staff in the use of three "Rural America Series" handbooks: (1) "Resource Assessment" which depicts a major step in the planning process, (2) "Career…

This module of the staff training series deals with the practical problems that arise when setting a framework for effective staff development, by concentrating on a number of experiential activities for accomplishing the staff development mission. Presented among the strategies for accomplishing total staff development are field trips to work…

This module provides guidelines for planning and implementing both written and oral cooperative agreements with business, industry, and labor. These guidelines will be of help to rural and small school counselors and educators as they plan, implement, and evaluate career guidance programs in rural schools. Characteristics of formal and informal…

This module helps the facilitator in training other educators in the effective use of a wealth of field test data gathered through case studies of all nine sites at which the Rural America Series has been rigorously field tested over a 15-month period. The module is particularly valuable in assisting program planners to anticipate and avoid errors…

This facilitator's module, part of the staff training for the "Rural America Series," presents the means for setting the keystone of successful program development, i.e., the establishment of appropriate, concrete, and measurable objectives. A distinction is made between behavioral (student) objectives and program objectives, and…

This module emphasizes the training of staff members of recognize the benefits of effective school-community cooperation and provides an opportunity for trainees to develop a viable community relations strategy. Reasons for community involvement are considered; these include becoming responsive to and aware of community needs, obtaining community…

This appendix to the 14 facilitator guide modules allows for greater accountability in the training effort by providing additional and/or expanded evaluation procedures. Various suggestions for collecting evaluation information are listed for each module so that the facilitator can have flexibility in the selection of evaluation procedures.…