Written for practitioners who must supervise early childhood staff from a wide variety of educational and cultural backgrounds, this book provides guidelines and practical suggestions for staff training and development in early childhood settings. Part 1 challenges myths regarding supervision to ease the burden under which supervisors carry out…

This paper presents findings of an ethnographic study of a school district's Staff Development, Supervision, and Evaluation Program (SDSEP). Data were gathered through interviews, observations, participant observation, analysis of kinesics and proxemics, semiotic analysis of discourse, unobtrusive measures, and analysis of official documents. The…

Suggestions for improving teacher assessment of student performance are presented in this paper, with attention to ways in which superintendents can help. Suggested activities include pre- and post-observation conferences, a review of the teacher's plan book, and development of a professional growth plan. Because teachers as a group often lack…

Suggests that if the quality of education and the school environment are going to improve, more attention must be paid to developing leadership skills in administrators and school principals. (JC)

Outlines the York University teacher education program and assesses the degree of professional growth occurring among teachers supervising York university student teachers. Notes results that only partially support commonly held ideas that association with a university teacher training program promotes professional growth. (SB)

This newsletter theme issue focuses on the value of supervision in developing personnel in programs for infants with disabilities and their families. The first article, titled "Learning through Supervision and Mentorship To Support the Development of Infants, Toddlers and Their Families" (Emily Fenichel), is an essay explaining the thinking of the…

This article focuses on one element of staff development, and applies to classroom observation an interactive process between staff developer and teacher that leads to a better understanding and acceptance of individual teaching styles. The emphasis is on professional growth rather than on institutional regulation. (Author/KC)

Partners in Education (PIE) is a cooperative program, designed to enhance teacher growth and development, between the University of Colorado (Boulder) and three school districts. This article describes the essential components and key people in the partnership and discusses benefits to the schools, teachers, school districts, and university. (IAH)

A summary of the Select Seminar II for the development of innovative practically implemented teacher evaluation practices is provided in this report. Two central concerns are linking teacher evaluation to professional growth, and establishing collegial relationships. Discussion topics include: the relationship between teacher evaluation and…

A residential group care facility serving abused children had encountered unprecedented changes both internally and in the community. These changes had been highly stressful for this agency, affecting the morale of those closest to the children, the Child/Youth Care Workers. To address these stressors, a strategy utilizing supportive,…

This document is a kit for conducting a program of performance appraisal for first line supervisors (such as department chairpersons) in instructional departments in two-year colleges. It was developed for use in selected postsecondary technical institutes in Wisconsin, but could be used in nontechnical settings. The first three sections of the…

Beginning with the observation that educators are faced with rising public expectations, declining resources, and increased public criticism, this paper describes a six-fold model for determining how staff development is operating and how it can be made to operate more effectively, in a self-renewing manner. The six dimensions consist of the…

The Child Care Employee Project hosted a 2-day working session in Berkeley, California, in an effort to explore questions raised by the National Child Care Staffing Study about what constitutes adequate professional preparation for child care teachers and providers. The mission of the meeting was to develop an agenda for research about the process…

This paper examines factors that promote and diminish teacher trust in the instructional supervision process. Trust--key to the supervisor's success in helping teachers change behaviors--is correlated with such factors as confidentiality, approach to dealing with complaints, and the development of collaboration and participation in supervisory…

The emergence of LEAD Centers, Principals' Centers, and other similar principal support efforts are an acknowledgement of the demanding professional requirements placed upon principals. This document provides an easy-to-use reference listing of resources identified by the Maryland Commission on School-based Administration and the Maryland LEAD…