Interviews with four nurse educators and four education administrators in Canadian hospitals identified (1) organizational demands and constraints that shape nurses' educational needs; (2) the skills needed to be developed; and (3) staff development delivery systems to respond to those needs. An organizational culture that fosters learning…

Describes a model of implementing multicultural education that uses a four-step process of awareness, knowledge, skills development, and action. Professional education is a key component of this program, which was evaluated in 1995 and 1996. Teacher responses to questionnaires showed the positive impacts of the approach. (SLD)

Responses from 127 private, 99 public, and 26 multinational corporations in India described current practices for evaluating training and development. High pressure for innovation and productivity drives training. The effectiveness of training components is the key factor measured. Participant reactions are the primary data source. Lack of…

A significant challenge to schools is selecting the staff development approach that aligns most clearly with the assumptions and beliefs of staff members and produces the results desired for students. When beliefs are in alignment, change in behavior accelerates; when beliefs underlying a new staff development program contradict long-held beliefs…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the teaching beliefs of non-formal environmental educators who work in state and local parks. Findings reveal that teaching beliefs are much more complex than purported in the literature. Three broad insights are offered: including roles and responsibilities of the non-formal environmental educator,…

Currently, considerable difference exists between learning experiences for school administrators at the pre-service and in-service stages in their careers. Individuals aspiring to formal school leadership roles participate in learning experiences that are part of university-based administrator preparation programs. Those already serving in…

The 2003 UK's government White Paper on the future of higher education (DfES 2003) included the broad statement that 'all students are entitled to be taught well, and to be given the support they need to learn effectively.' But quality teaching--in the sense of quality in the classroom or online--is not the whole story, according to the author,…

The Online Delivery Model Project was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in follow-up to the Online Academy (Award # HO29K73002). The purpose of the project was to engage teams of educators from nine states in the development of models for implementing online staff development at the state, regional, and national levels. Five…

Over the next ten years, retirements will bring a leadership crisis in community colleges. One way to combat the impending crisis is to develop formal mentoring programs which nurture future leaders. One way to ensure the mentoring program achieves its objective is by using a framework to assess leadership strengths and weaknesses. Mentors who are…

Conventionally, apprenticeship is understood as a linear journey from novice to expert in which "old-timers" mould their successors. This paper challenges the assumptions that expertise is equated solely with status and experience in the workplace, and that all novices and experts, regardless of context, are seen as the same.

This study examines whether two online courses offering educational support for junior faculty have a positive effect on their attitudes and curriculum and teaching capacities (CTC) learning. The data used in the analysis are from two 2005 online University training courses. The tasks the online courses assign to faculty, the resources they…

In this article, the author recounts her experience in 2005 as a library director at the Mount Laurel Library in New Jersey. She thought her people at the library were in fairly good shape in terms of the professional staff's understanding of the confidentiality rules governing their customer information. However, she was wrong. This was driven…

Purpose: This article reports the results of a randomized, controlled evaluation of Partners in Caregiving in a Special Care Environment, an intervention designed to improve communication and cooperation between staff and families of residents in nursing home dementia programs. Design and Methods: Participants included 388 family members and 384…

Cost-effective methods have been developed to help busy emergency department (ED) staff cope with the growing number of older patients, including quick screening and assessment tools to identify those at high risk and note their specific needs. This survey, from a sample of key informants from all EDs (n=111) in the province of Quebec…

Quality career/technical education and its role in school improvement was a primary theme of the 2008 "High Schools That Work" ("HSTW") Staff Development Conference. This newsletter covers crucial topics in quality CTE (career and technical education), including assessing the quality and effectiveness of CT programs, preparing students to succeed…