Quality career/technical education and its role in school improvement was a primary theme of the 2008 "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") Staff Development Conference. This newsletter covers crucial topics in quality CTE (career and technical education), including assessing the quality and effectiveness of CT programs, preparing students to succeed…

The impact of a staff-training program on knowledge and confidence in supporting people with intellectual disabilities (ID) at the time of bereavement was examined. Thirty-three staff members from a Dublin, Ireland-based ID support service participated in the study. Both the training (n = 17) and control (n = 16) groups completed measures of…

The purpose of this study was to identify instructional strategies and support services of five learning community programs that focus on the retention of African American students at California Community Colleges. Empirical research indicates that colleges and universities have historically structured their curricula, student services programs,…

This report presents findings from the Massachusetts Family Child Care study, a two-year evaluation designed to examine the impacts on providers and children of an early childhood education program aimed at improving the development and learning opportunities in the care settings and, as a consequence, the outcomes for children in care. The early…

A preschool program for 14 handicapped children in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, is described and evaluation findings reported. Program objectives are listed for instructional, parent-family, staff development, and demonstration and dissemination components. Among findings were that mentally retarded children showed greater than anticipated…

Communication assistants can fulfill an important role in assessment of language and hearing problems as well as in direct therapy. Four model preservice training programs are summarized and results of efficacy studies noted. (CL)

Discusses the problem of turnover among nurses and proposes the use of networking as a means of retaining nursing staff. The plan relies on aspects of the nursing process--assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation--to retain quality nursing staff. (JOW)

Presents a brief outline of the characteristics of effective staff development programs and lists seven sources of help for school districts and staffs designing staff development programs. (JM)

Interviews with 23 newly appointed college support staff revealed that 52% had mentors; only 41% of mentoring relationships were active. Some felt that mentors were only for academic staff. Better documentation, entry-worker induction workshops, and mentor development workshops were called for. (SK)

Large numbers of part-time adult educators necessitate staff development. Effective staff development should determine needs, define audience, identify clear objectives, match content with needs, and involve participants actively. (SK)

The preschool is an important yet understudied setting for sun-protection interventions. This study evaluates the effects of Sun Protection is Fun! (SPF) on preschool staff behavioral and psychosocial outcomes related to protecting children from sun exposure. Twenty preschools participated in a 2-year, group-randomized trial to evaluate SPF, a…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of a sample of Lebanese organizations vis-a-vis some of the core learning organization dimensions identified in the literature, focusing specifically on those dimensions that are considered most salient and relevant in the Lebanese context. Design/methodology/approach: The paper…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to add to the emerging literatures on organizational learning and strategic management by developing a practice perspective on strategic organizational learning (SOL). While the literature on SOL has been growing, much of it has targeted exclusively practitioners and has not yet elaborated the mechanics and…

This report presents findings from the Massachusetts Family Child Care study, a two-year evaluation of the impacts of an early childhood education program on providers and children in family child care. The program--"LearningGames"--is designed to train caregivers to stimulate children's cognitive, language, and social-emotional…

This study examined the effectiveness of a new skills training program designed to increase nurse aides' knowledge of behavior management. The training program, designed as five 90-minute group learning modules, was implemented in two Western Pennsylvania nursing homes over a 5-month period. Topics covered within the training program included…