This issue of the journal, "Seeds of Innovation," focuses on the teacher as learner, on creating successful supportive learning environments for professional growth and development. It draws from experiences of Tennessee adult basic education (ABE) practitioners who participated in the 1993-94 Literacy Trainers Institutes and the 1994-95 Learner…

The use of volunteers is one answer to the short supply of human and financial resources in our nation's secondary schools. There is evidence that volunteer programs planned with broad based faculty-student involvement greatly enrich classroom activities. The principal holds a key role in assuring the success of volunteer programs by coordinating…

The evidence from research using expectancy theory is synthesized to develop a contingency model of incentives for involving teachers in professional development. Research findings that focused on the administrative challenge of motivating teachers to engage in curriculum development tasks are used to test the model. (MLF)

As interest in school-based management grows and the number of efforts increases, the gap between the strategy's potential and its realization is being explored. Although school-based management may stimulate a redistribution of informal power or influence, there is little evidence that significant, long-lasting, or widespread changes are…

This review of research on instructional improvement and teacher evaluation considers the complex issues affecting the K-8 principal's ability to enhance educational quality through effective supervision of the instructional process. According to several studies, teachers found formal evaluations far less valuable than direct assistance and…

The question of whether teaching is truly a profession and what can be done to improve it is examined in this bulletin. Although commonly viewed as a profession, teaching lacks many of the characteristics of a true profession. Teachers have little authority over their work, lack the minimum amenities and working conditions expected by other…

The view that peer review and faculty self-government are detrimental is expressed. Peer review, a procedure in which the conduct of faculty members is subject to review by other faculty members, is used primarily in personnel and research decisions (e.g., tenure, promotion, and/or salary increases, and to assess grant or contract proposals).…

This bulletin highlights the efforts of the St. Louis Community College District to revitalize the liberal arts on its campuses. First, the structures and activities that were used to develop a liberal arts curriculum are described, including: (1) the formation of districtwide and campus Liberal Arts Committees; (2) the development of project…

The purpose of this Bulletin is to clarify the intent of shared decision making (SDM) and explore its benefits, drawbacks, and implementation. It looks at how the principal's role changes in SDM, stresses the need for training, examines conditions that affect successful implementation of SDM, and offers ideas on how schools can concentrate on…

School-based management and teacher empowerment are consistent elements of school restructuring efforts nationwide. These developments have grown out of frustration over the failure of centralized efforts to significantly improve schools and increase support for individual empowerment. Teacher empowerment is based on four assumptions: (1)…

A project to improve higher level thinking skills of elementary students in Hillsborough County, Florida is reported as a feature article (66p). An introductory overview chapter reviews the literature on teaching thinking skills. Chapter 1 provides background information on the community and the two schools selected for the practicum. The second…

This newsletter summarizes a research project in Sweden aimed at studying the participation of school personnel in the school planning process. The project involved following the planning of three schools in Sodertalje where the personnel had been given the opportunity to participate. Project data were collected by attending planning meetings;…

Project RISE (Regional In-Service Education) is an inservice center serving teachers, administrators, support staff and parents in central Connecticut. It began in 1976 with state funding, and serves 500 teachers in nine rural and small town districts. An initial needs assessment provided a basis for planning and responding to individual teachers'…

The Michigan State University Institute for Research on Teaching, an aggregate of public school teachers and full-time investigative personnel, came under review by a one-day conference of teachers, teacher organization representatives, educational researchers, and state and federal government officials. Discussion topics that arose from the…

Four recent journal articles and one meeting paper on teacher involvement in curriculum development are summarized in this research bulletin. Contents include "Motivating Teacher Involvement in Professional Growth Activities," by Ruth Wright; "Teacher Participation in Curriculum Development: What Status Does It Have?" by Jean Young; "The Locus of…