This handbook sets out a clear organisational rationale of coaching and mentoring and provides structured activities for self-reflection or groups. It will be particularly suitable for Higher Education institutions which are considering the development of mentoring as part of their effective professional relationships and working practices. This…

In the spring of 2002, a rural school district in the Midwest implemented an online staff development program. As a part of this program, every educator at the middle and secondary education level was required to complete one online course of his or her choice. A survey was conducted to analyze the positive outcomes and considerations for further…

Despite their best and frequently heroic efforts, school crisis intervention teams often find themselves unprepared for the many types of tragedies they face. This timely text prompts crisis intervention team members to reevaluate their beliefs and practices and consider a new approach to dealing with school crises. The author, a longtime school…

Purpose: This research aims to extend the traditional cultural divide between male and female lawyers by examining contradictory workplace policies that discriminate against the work and education of female auxiliary workers within general legal practice in Australia. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses membership categorisation devices,…

Public schools must make available special education and related services to all IDEA-eligible (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) students with disabilities beginning at age three and through age 18. Services to students, ages 19, 20, and 21, are permissive. That means the decision to serve 19, 20 and 21-year-old students is determined…

A study examined whether a correlation exists between the number of years of experience and professional development that a teacher has and the gain in the classroom's average of total reading scores. Teachers participating in the study were the instructors of the three fourth-grade units of a lower-to-middle class socioeconomic elementary school…

A practicum was designed to increase participation of families in home-school literacy activities. The school was located in a suburban village in the northeastern United States. Data indicated that many families of first- and second-grade minority students who were bused to the school for integration purposes were not participating in home-school…

Nested in a complex environment of expectations, regulations, professional standards, and historical traditions, schools are the object of many influences. The main question of this paper is: To what extent and under what conditions do external agents help schools develop intellectual quality and strong professional communities? The paper examines…

Stewardship is the willingness of the leader to serve for the well-being of the school, rather than through controlling stakeholders. Stewards are capable of turning their schools into learning organizations, in which all stakeholders share a feeling of ownership. This book is a sequel to "The Principal's Edge," which covered the first 9 of the 21…

A series of focus group interviews with teachers and principals from six schools in several mid-Atlantic states examined common frustrations over staff development and school restructuring. Results of the interviews showed that the staff development needs of schools undergoing restructuring often do not match programs offered by the state or…

This booklet describes one of the earliest staff development models to support school-based improvement, the RPTIM model. The letters "RPTIM" represent the five stages of the school-based approach to staff development--readiness, planning, training, implementation, and maintenance. The model is based on the belief that the school is the primary…

This study examined sources of conflict in international teaching assistant (ITA) training programs for graduate students from abroad using a survey of 10 research and doctoral institutions. The survey sought to characterize some sources of conflict between ITA trainers and their constituencies as perceived by ITA trainers. Responses indicated…

This videotape and trainer's package helps fundraisers prepare a 1.25 hour program with scripted training guidelines for use by experienced or novice trainers. The workshop is designed to make all library staff partners in the fundraising process and to demonstrate that the behaviors involved are the same as those normally used to give good…

This guide contains 55 articles written by adult basic education (ABE) practitioners in Pennsylvania suggesting ways to improve teaching and program administration in the field. The guide is organized into four parts: (1) working together for program improvement, (2) teaching and learning, (3) developing as a professional and (4) appendixes (high…

This paper describes how staff development contributed to the effectiveness of four elementary schools along the south-Texas border. It attempts to determine the use of the strategies and techniques developed during staff development, the types of assistance teachers received to enable them to apply new techniques, and the differences teachers…