Increased student achievement is the goal of all educators, and to that end, teachers must engage in professional development so that they are introduced to new strategies. Moreover, these professional development offerings must be sustained with a follow-up plan that allows teachers to practice strategies and reflect and collaborate with…

This study examined the application and perceived effectiveness of the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) in a community college Student Affairs Division. The two research questions were as follows: (1) How does a Community College apply CAS standards? (2) What is the perceived effectiveness of applying those standards? A case study…

Success for All (SFA), one of the best-known school reform models, aims to improve the reading skills of all children but is especially directed at schools that serve large numbers of students from low-income families. First implemented in 1987, SFA combines a challenging reading program, whole-school reform elements, and an emphasis on continuous…

Success for All (SFA), one of the best-known school reform models, aims to improve the reading skills of all children but is especially directed at schools that serve large numbers of students from low-income families. First implemented in 1987, SFA combines a challenging reading program, whole-school reform elements, and an emphasis on continuous…

High-quality care in the earliest years of life has been shown to relate to positive developmental outcomes for children, including improved early academic skills, social-emotional competencies, and cognitive functioning. Unfortunately, the early care experiences of many children are not always high quality; rather, research suggests that…

First implemented in 1987, Success for All (SFA) is one of the best-known and most thoroughly evaluated school reform models. It combines three basic elements: (1) Reading instruction that emphasizes phonics for beginning readers and comprehension for students at all levels, and that is characterized by a highly structured curriculum, an emphasis…

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has become a policy priority in many countries. A growing body of research recognises that it provides a wide range of benefits, including social and economic benefits, better child well-being and learning outcomes as a foundation for lifelong learning, more equitable outcomes and reduction of poverty, and…

This interview with staff-development expert, Bruce Joyce, discusses the effect of staff development on student achievement, focusing on the importance of teachers and administrators continuously studying what they are implementing, research on how staff development affects student achievement, assessment as part of the process of instruction, the…

Although teacher inservice programs based on Madeline Hunter's Program for Effective Teaching (PET) have become very popular in U.S. schools, there is little evidence that the Hunter model ultimately results in increased student achievement. This longitudinal study attempts to evaluate the effects of Hunter-based staff development programs on…

The evaluator of the Napa/Vacaville project responds with an analysis of student achievement scores and the goals of the project. She points out that the year after the project ended student achievement scores increased again. The positive effects of staff development on student achievement may have needed more time to take effect. (MD)

The Follow Through Title I Expansion Program involving kindergarten through third-grade classes in 28 schools in Philadelphia District 1-7 was evaluated in 1979-1980 in the areas of classroom process/implementation, achievement, parent involvement, staff development and supportive services. The evaluation report consists of 22 tables of data with…

The Primary Skills Program for Kindergarten through Grade 2 was evaluated in terms of its educational, parent involvement, and staff development components. Cross-sectional achievement data were analyzed to provide a picture of the primary skills performance in reading and mathematics as compared to performance of the total city, each district,…

This is an evaluation of a Title VII bilingual education program carried out for Spanish speaking students in grades K-5 at Public School 155 (P.S. 155), Brooklyn, New York. A brief background of Title VII legislation is given. Instructional goals, staff development, parent involvement, and the development of a bilingual curriculum are listed as…

If education is to halt the ever-swinging pendulum and make significant progress in student achievement, it must first change the ground rules for selecting, implementing, evaluating, and institutionalizing innovations like Hunter's model. This article proposes steps for providing an infrastructure capable of promoting lasting and beneficial…

Because of increased emphasis on accountability, program evaluations today must go beyond measures of change in program participants to consider the effects, either direct or indirect, of staff development on students and their learning. A model is presented illustrating the relationship between staff development for teachers and student learning…