Norway's initial education system is distinguished by public regulation, provision, and financing. Vocational training and adult learning have been dominated by private providers and employer financing. Recent comprehensive reforms of vocational and adult education seek to expand participation in learning. Major challenges persist developing an…

Describes a cost-effective process for delivering large-scale life support training in a medical center, a situation with high risk and low tolerance for incompetence. Discusses the reengineered credentialing system that delivers competency-based instruction via multimedia CD-ROM. (SK)

Describes principal's role in transforming the Yamato Colony Elementary School in Livingston, California, from low-performing to high-performing in four years. (PKP)

Describes extended-day programs, including effect on low-achieving students, linkage to regular school day, staffing requirements and training, and program evaluation. (PKP)

Personal experience of her first-year experience as superintendent of the Southeast Warren Community School District, a small rural district in Liberty Center, Iowa. (PKP)

A successful, large-scale staff development program at a Colorado elementary school is described. The article focuses on initial district administrative support, transition to a teacher-directed program, and the voluntary peer coaching program which kept the excitement alive and ensured that training was firmly incorporated into teachers' daily…

The new state and district policy initiatives in California recognize that effective parent involvement is multifaceted and requires schools' active efforts. The San Diego County Office of Education has served as information clearinghouse, source of direct services to parents, and provider of staff development and planning assistance. Challenges…

Six articles discuss the need for improved training of library personnel and strategies for attaining this goal. Areas discussed include training objectives, training methods, the role of library education, staff development at Indiana State University, the role of library management, and the creation of effective training methods. (CLB)

Changes in British social policy regarding community health care has implications for local education agency (LEA) providers of adult continuing education. LEAs will either have a role in providing staff training and other learning opportunities, will be forced to provide cheaper forms of community care, or will be ignored altogether. (SK)

A central office administrator describes her emerging role as coordinator and facilitator of professional development programs at Rochester (New York) City Schools. In a newly decentralized setting, she acknowledges and accepts responsibility for all district staff, responds to all staff members' identified and stated needs, and remains well…

Planners of staff development for desegregation often stress content, but use ineffectual processes. Staff development programs concerned with third-generation desegregation issues focus on school processes aimed at producing equal learning outcomes, rather than changed attitudes. Topics include instructional methods, curriculum adaptations, and…

Describes ways in which principals can use a two-phase staff development process to foster a strong sense of community and build an educational community. Benefits include higher staff morale, increased faculty cohesion, and a renewed dedication to teaching. (SM)

Meaningful and lasting school improvement can only occur in an appropriate climate and must be characterized by commitment, solid research about collaborative working styles and outcome-based education, and stable leadership. Leaders in the school improvement process should be constantly prepared to deal with the unexpected. Includes three…

Human service organizations provide educational opportunities to clients as well as their staffs. Examples of their role in building learning communities include (1) integrating the developmentally disabled; (2) preventing sickness and ensuring wellness; (3) building school-based learning; (4) reaching out to immigrants; and (5) rehabilitating…

"Take Ten" enables Sheffield (England) city council employees to take 10 days of paid educational leave for a staff development program that focuses on developing individual communication and interpersonal and teamwork skills, offering new perspectives on public service work, enabling work experiences to be shared, and broadening…