This study investigated the use of organizational learning community principles to effectively manage organizational change. Target is a pseudonym for a small public school in Southern New Jersey that has provided educational services to students with special needs since 1969. In 2004 Target began providing services to a new population of students…

This report describes the design and implementation of the three interventions tested in Project Upgrade, one of four experiments conducted as part of the Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies. The evaluation was a multi-site, multi-year effort to determine whether and how different child care subsidy policies and procedures and quality…

The Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) was developed for use by school-based mental health professionals for any student with symptoms of distress following exposure to trauma. The Supporting Students Exposed to Trauma (SSET) was adapted from CBITS for use by any school personnel with the time and interest to work with…

This article presents findings from a consultation project conducted by faculty from six schools of social work with approximately 150 child welfare supervisors over a two-year period. The purpose of the program was to assist supervisors with their roles as educators, mentors, and coaches for casework staff, specifically in relationship to case…

The Staff Development for School Improvement (SDSI) Program uses an innovative and clearly-defined six-step process which focuses on teachers' ability to solve critical professional problems in their buildings. Through this process, teachers are given the responsibility for planning, implementing, and evaluating their own staff development. The…

In 1984-85 the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (AIDP) Program was conducted in 32 New York City community school districts. A total of 32,387 students in kindergarten through grade 9 participated. Across all districts, 66 percent of the program students met the suggested criterion of 24 or more absences in 1983-84; and an additional 6.4…

The report summarizes evaluation findings on the Learning Centre, a research and demonstration centre of the Calgary Society for Students with Learning Difficulties. The report addresses evaluation of formal research projects (on such topics as instrumental enrichment with low achieving adolescents); pilot projects (such as an animation film…

This study was undertaken to evaluate a training program on understanding Alzheimer's disease for nursing home caregivers of those with the disease. A pretest/posttest design control group methodology was used to evaluate 81 staff members. Results of the study showed that: (1) staff satisfaction with working with mentally impaired and demented…

An evaluation report is presented of the Resident Supervisory Support for Teachers, a peer supervision program designed to improve classroom instruction by training school personnel in concepts and strategies of school supervision, with an emphasis on a peer clinical approach. Participants are trained to help teachers identify their strengths and…

The report examines accomplishments of project UPSTART, an intervention approach for young severely multihandicapped infants and their families. The project's outreach provided assistance at six sites, three of which were new. Outreach accomplishments are evaluated according to six objectives, including stimulation of program development,…

This planning model outlines eight steps that enable local education agencies to formulate a program for staff development. The program is designed to modify organizational, managerial, and instructional practices that inhibit reading success among both children and adults. The eight action steps are: (1) assess district-wide reading needs; (2)…

Summarizes results of a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the training programs and courses offered by Staff Development Services, Civil Service Commission of Ontario (Canada). Questionnaires completed by participants and their supervisors indicated that the courses are effective in all areas evaluated. (MF)

The implementation of a school-based program in which specially trained teachers served as staff developers to introduce a writing-across-the-curriculum program is described from the perspectives of the teacher/staff developer, the principal, and the district director of staff development. (Author/MT)

Offers suggestions for spending staff development money effectively. Ideas include the following: (1) keep your money close to the classroom; (2) use consultants to train your own trainers; (3) beware of embarking on numerous small-scale reforms; and (4) beware of pressure to copy other school improvement methods. (CJH)

The Rokeach Value Survey, which requires ranking two sets of 18 values, was administered to 24 Israeli paraprofessionals before and after a 16-week training program on disability-related topics. Four terminal values (wisdom, self-respect, equality, sense of accomplishment) and three instrumental values (polite, helpful, clean) rose in importance.…