This paper sets forth implications for staff development of a social constructivist perspective on school teaching, learning, and subject matter. The perspective is illustrated by an overview of the research-centered staff development work done in the beginning months of the Teachers' Conceptual Change in Practice Project. In the first half of the…

A brief review of the events leading up to the enactment of the Career Incentive Program is provided. Competencies used to evaluate the teachers are listed, defined, and exemplified. Detailed procedures for implementation are given along with various forms used in the assessment process. The complete law is printed out. (Author)

This paper describes storyknifing activities practiced by a small group of young girls in a Yup'ik Eskimo village on the Kuskokwim River in Alaska. Storyknifing is a form of play in which girls tell stories to one another, while making drawings and designs in mud or snow. The girls will sit in a circle for hours at a time, taking turns telling…

This review of methods used to assess the clinical performance of medical students focuses on four common assessment approaches: (1) the examination developed by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME); (2) systematic, multifactor evaluation methods; (3) observation techniques; and (4) problem based methods. Analyzed in conjunction with…

The Teacher Quality Assurance Program, an integral part of the Houston, Texas, Plan for Excellence, addresses renewal and professional growth opportunities for current staff. The program is administered by a bi- or tri-dimensional assessment team that may consist of the principal, an instructional supervisor, and the associate and/or deputy…

The Counselor Quality Assurance Program, part of the Houston, Texas, Plan for Excellence, addresses the renewal and professional growth opportunities for school counselors. The program is administered by a bi- or tri-dimensional assessment team that may consist of the principal, a supervisor or appropriate central office administrator, and the…

In an attempt to determine the variables that best predict HOME (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) scores, a measure for identifying young at-risk children, 52 mothers of infants completed questionnaires based on HOME. Clinical observation of mother-child interaction was also performed. The questionnaire was found to be…

A pair of 9-year-old boys with socioemotional and interpersonal difficulties was observed unobtrusively in 35 weekly hour-long therapy sessions over the course of 2 school years. A transcript/narrative analysis technique was used to identify all interpersonal negotiation strategies each child used within each session. Strategies were classified…

Stereotypic behavior was examined in a group of five multiply handicapped children (4-10 years old) over a 2-year span. Observational data were collected at 6-month intervals in the form of 2-minute running descriptions of the child's behavior and the general setting, or condition, of the behavior (e.g., unattended, or stressed). Results revealed…

This paper points out the value of methods that are qualitative in nature in order to collect data regarding the essence of a formalized relationship between a mentor teacher and an intern teacher. Of several cases examined during the second year (1987-88) of the New York State Mentor Teacher-Internship Program, one case is presented as an…

Ways to promote the evaluation of teaching performance by peers are considered. It is suggested that the evaluator's task be extended to include counseling and coaching the instructor being evaluated in order to help him/her overcome deficiencies in classroom performance. The counselor/evaluator should start by scheduling a short meeting with the…

Supervisors who evaluate staff members' performances often do not have first hand information concerning those performances. Consequently, the staff member is sometimes not aware of what caused a person's success or failure. In order to give constructive feedback to an employee, a supervisor or another colleague could observe the staff member at…

Surveys of teachers' use of writing in the classroom indicate that many teachers continue to use writing in a limited capacity, primarily for drill, notetaking, and evaluation. However, while these studies suggest attitudes teachers might hold, they say little about the beliefs that might underlie those attitudes. For example, the observation of…

This report explains the development of an experimental project that is one of five such projects making up the Dakota State Teacher's Assistant Series (Dakota State College, Madison, South Dakota). The projects use interactive computer-controlled video programs and involve the social sciences. The project highlighted here involves educational…

Naturalistic inquiry (based on the ethnographic research paradigm) has the potential to supplement, or possibly to replace, quantitative experimental research in education. For years most reading researchers have used the experimental research design. This design fails to tap self-concept, value systems, purpose of and attitude toward reading,…