Research Findings: Collaborative work and supportive relationships are highly valued by teachers and school administrators. Collaboration, however, necessitates constructive conflict resolution (P. M. Senge, 1990); yet conflict is often experienced as interpersonally threatening and undermining supportive working conditions. This contradiction is…

When Palmdale School District and Pivot Learning Partners entered into their first contract in 2006, neither organization foresaw the magnitude and complexity the relationship would take over time. Pivot Learning Partners (formerly known as Springboard Schools) is a non-profit service provider that first entered the Palmdale School District…

A study was conducted in Georgia to determine the needs of vocational-technical education teachers for staff development and how those needs are being met. A review of literature revealed that, although the responsibility for maintaining competence in one's teaching field has remained with the teacher, the process of inservice education and…

Career ladder program assessment for 1988, which is being conducted by The Arizona Career Ladder Research and Evaluation Project, is in its third year of data collection, analysis, and reporting. This document presents 38 statistical tables on average scores of responses to a survey of teachers and administrators regarding levels of program…

Approaches to planning, conducting, and assessing workshops or retreats for college trustees and regents are suggested. It is claimed that the most successful workshops or retreats are those that fit into a comprehensive strategy of board development, and that it is important to decide what needs to be accomplished and to involve the board in…

Many training programs have been set up for volunteers and paraprofessionals who work with the elderly. These programs, however, tend to emphasize basic helping skills. Those already trained in basic psychotherapeutic techniques require advanced training in skills related to psychotherapy and counseling with older adults. The effectiveness of such…

A study of 20 faculty development fellows' self-concept as a clinical teacher, before and after a fellowship, revealed a substantial change in self-perception on two of the factors, and increased congruence with perceptions of an ideal teacher. Focus was on the characteristics of authority, sensitivity, and capability. (MSE)

Evaluated a short-term training program in rehabilitation, which taught job placement skills to counselors (N=19) whose clients were legally blind. Results indicated that program participants reported higher mean numbers of total placements, competitive placements, and employer contacts after training, and also had more favorable attitudes toward…

Describes a small group program in a nursing curriculum utilizing the Theme-Centered Interaction model, which attempts to combine and balance the cognitive, subjective-affective, and interactional modes. The method appears uniquely suited to the needs of student nurse clinicians who are expected to acquire and integrate psychomotor and affective…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 ("NCLB") presents a rigorous plan for education reform, challenging the nation's schools to increase student achievement and teacher quality. Central to that call for accountability is the requirement that schools take greater care in the selection of curricular and professional development programs…

This report presents results of a study completed in fall 2004 by Inverness Research Associates on behalf of the National Writing Project (NWP). The study was designed to satisfy a U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) requirement that programs assess participants' satisfaction with their professional development experiences, and also assess the…

This executive summary presents program evaluation outcomes for the Core Course component of the Schools Attuned Program. Core Courses occurred in sites across the United States, Canada and in Zurich, Switzerland throughout 2004. Analyses are based on information from the Schools Attuned Participant Core Course Survey and Schools Attuned…

In August 2004, the WVDE asked the Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, Inc. to evaluate the demonstration project, in order to meet the evaluation and reporting requirements set forth in the law. According to Fink (1993), baseline evaluation data allow for subsequent analyses of the effect or impact of a program. The purpose of this…

The current report explores what is available to superintendents after they assume their positions: what the landscape of sustained executive training and support options available for sitting school system leaders looks like. It describes about two dozen programs offered around the country-who offers them, how they are organized and funded, what…

This document presents best practice recommendations for important elements of environmental education including content, program development and implementation, assessment and evaluation, and professional development. Written for providers of environmental education, the guide is designed to help environmental education providers develop and…