In schools, a lesson functions as an individual building block to support the learning of new material. Experts have identified key elements in an effective lesson, and education leaders--including school based administrators, instructional coaches, department and grade-level chairs--usually look for these elements when reviewing lesson plans and…

A former Teach for America recruit who completed her training in a university-based program compares the two approaches to teacher preparation. In Teach for America, she learned how to design units and prepare lesson plans; in her university-based program, she had the time to learn from master teachers and build valuable skills, then practice…

Authors look at some of the issues that must be faced by local educators who must conceive and manage career development programs. (Authors/CB)

Primary purpose of evaluation is to cause educators to look at the process and the product of education and to utilize evaluation data as a corrective tool. (Authors)

Discusses some of the "illusions" involved in using learner accomplishment as a primary focus of program evaluation, and argues that a better approach to program evaluation is to focus on the "pursuit of accomplishment" by learners. (JG)

The Comprehensive Achievement Monitoring (CAM) program revolves around a series of tests regularly administered to students with immediate feedback to students and teachers. (Author/MLF)

Program directors evaluating their own programs must use techniques that are already available or easily accessible. (Author)

Describes two types of criterion-referenced testing that districts can use to measure achievement outcomes of their instructional programs: a random sampling assessment plan and an item-response theory assessment plan. (Author/JM)

Describes Research In Teacher Education (RITE), a staff development model that uses school district staff to train teachers and that identifies effective teaching and staff development practices. Information is presented on the model's characteristics and implementation, research contributing to the model, a field test, and San Diego's adoption of…

Describes a method of monitoring the district curriculum during an extended maintenance period. The program audit for each subject area addresses the degree of fidelity to curriculum objectives, determines whether teachers are emphasizing the curriculum objectives, and identifies factors constraining curriculum implementation. (MJL)