This article presents a professional development programme which brought an indigenous minority group of tertiary staff together. We describe a peer-mentoring model, piloted in 2009 at The University of Auckland, New Zealand with university staff in order to promote staff advancement. The participants were all Maori, the indigenous people of New…

As experience camp directors, we've seen the challenges faced by young camp counselors and inexperienced staff. Evaluations from staff at many camps motivated us to help our people be more effective with their campers. In response we created a comprehensive camp staff training. Lessons showed staff what we wanted them to do and say as they…

Purpose: Research studies on training-job relevance continuously discuss the extent of transfer being found limited. This study aims to focus on exploring trainees' perceptions about the effects of a "Western" professional training program on their skill development and how cultural factors specific to Lebanon influence the learning.…

Using social realist theory and critical discourse analysis, this article examines a number of discourses which construct academic staff attitudes to teaching and learning in their disciplines. It seeks to explain academics' resistance to engaging in activities aimed at professionalising academic practice. The research described in the article…

This dissertation study focused on three aspects of staff development in North Texas: (1) funding sources, (2) types of professional learning programs, and (3) teachers' views of the effectiveness of the funded programs. Qualitative data came from interviews with nine district administrators concerning funding sources and how those resources…

Involvement in student affairs professional development was investigated using McClusky's (1963) Power Load Margin (PLM) theory from the adult education field. The PLM theory is a framework for identifying sources of stress (load) and power in one's life; the amount of power available to handle stress is called margin in life (MIL). This study…

A study was conducted of the staff development activities of community college faculty in Iowa. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 302 faculty members from the 15 community colleges in Iowa, requesting them to indicate the number of times they had participated in 25 identified staff development activities during the past year, and…

The Head Start Supplementary Training Program offered college education and training opportunities to Head Start employees in order to enable them to become more skilled and responsible staff members and to increase their earning power and job security. The training program offered academic programs leading to Associate of Arts and Bachelor of…

One of the most crucial roles of the school leader is to develop and maintain the professional level of the staff which he/she supervises. It is generally agreed upon that the desired school culture is one in which the focus is on the development of a community of learners. Consequently, intellectual growth can never happen for children unless it…

A study was conducted to determine the important components of a comprehensive staff development program. To guide the investigation, a paradigm was constructed which identified the content areas of staff development as personal/professional, program/instructional, and organizational development; and which specified a statement of purpose or…

The present and future training needs of financial aid practitioners (financial aid officers, counselors, and support staff personnel) at Arizona colleges and government agencies were assessed. Attention was directed to the literature on training and programs for financial aid practitioners, as well as the possibilities of developing a…

Through a questionnaire survey of 267 school districts, the actual practices of United States school districts identified as having outstanding staff development programs were compared with those of randomly-selected school districts. Discrepancies and similarities are discussed, along with support needs for instructional improvement. (SLD)

A study was conducted (1) to ascertain types of staff development activities and procedures being used in public elementary schools in Iowa, and (2) to determine how these procedures compare with principles and guidelines supported by research. Data were collected from a total of 346 randomly selected teachers, principals, and superintendents. The…

Governing boards or their Trustee Committees should identify, cultivate, and recruit prospective trustees; annually evaluate the board and its members; and nominate officers and other committee members. A model form that can be used to evaluate individual trustees is offered. (Author/JMD)

Evaluation of the Teaching and Learning Project Scheme at Southampton Institute (United Kingdom) examined the effectiveness of a scheme that released staff for limited periods of time for work concerned with teaching and learning. An internal, local evaluation methodology was used that involved questionnaires and interviews. The evaluation set the…