The Participation Reasons Scale (PRS) was used with Army Engineers to study the effects that academic preparation, leadership and functional roles, and occupational specialty have on reasons for becoming involved in training and education. Five general factors were identified: professional improvement and development, personal security, enhancing…

Presents three personnel issues and related problems for case studies that confront developmental program administrators, faculties, and staff. Addresses the challenge of team building when individuals do not want to participate and how to define workload equivalencies. Looks at professional development for personnel as it reflects upon academic…

Results of a survey of teachers of children and youth at risk indicate that reducing school and classroom violence is considered most critical among five broad areas of training for professional development. Inservice training course modules for seven topics related to this area are described. (SLD)

Examined the impact of a two-year leadership training program that used a problem-centered and site-specific curriculum for program directors to improve the quality of 14 early childhood programs in the Chicago area and to increase the number of programs receiving accreditation from NAEYC. Found that administrators expanded their repertoire of…

Examines three case studies of educators (teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals) who came together initially during a summer professional development experience. Through a two-week immersion, educators and facilitators engaged in challenging their assumptions and practice through the lens of constructivist pedagogy. The immersion evolved…

Classroom research addresses the why and how of learning, encouraging teachers to use their classrooms as laboratories for the study of learning. At its best it involves students as collaborators rather than as subjects. Classroom research has the potential for creating teaching and learning communities with the shared goal of understanding…

Discusses staff development in the area of technology integration in secondary schools. Highlights include how the new technology can be useful; staff motivation; training considerations, including staff needs; and student participation in producing videos on various educational technologies for staff to watch. (LRW)

Describes a professional development activity that offers a way for teachers to analyze their current classroom discourse practices and move toward the goal of dynamic and productive mathematical discourse. (ASK)

Educational change is often accompanied by a blurring of traditional boundaries among various institutions and chief participants. At all levels, historical lines of authority and presumed centers of expertise are disappearing, thanks to redefined roles, redistributed decision-making responsibility, and new technologies. Transformative examples…

Discusses the need to redesign the preservice training in educational administration to include more content and practice in issues related to special education, such as: (1) attitudes; (2) laws/regulations; (3) instructional/curricular issues; and (4) staff/family/community interaction. Ways to incorporate special education into preservice…

The "iNtegrating Technology for inQuiry" (NTeQ) model provides a framework for creating an environment for students to use computers as tools to build a strong educational background while solving meaningful problems. This article outlines the NTeQ philosophy, describes the design process for lesson plans, and discusses professional development…

Discusses paradoxes of leadership, including (1) directors need to enjoy their work, but cannot avoid disagreeable tasks; (2) staff protection of directors ultimately proves harmful; (3) when directors are most discouraged, they need to be most motivated; (4) humor can help accomplish serious results; and (5) the longer a director is employed, the…

Describes the Instruction and Technology course in Portland State University's Graduate Teacher Education Program, a course required for Oregon teacher certification. Discusses computer and Internet skills taught in the course, their use in instructional design and management, the new emphasis on such skills in the hiring process, and one student…

Suggests that the "fact-shoveling" model of higher education is rendering institutions superfluous in this Information Age. Illustrates the convergence of business and education, and notes that businesses are providing relevant training for free, while a university education remains costly. Discusses the credential problem,…

Reviews research on high school dropouts and elementary school literacy needs. Looks at elements of successful early-intervention programs (including schools and parents, school structure issues, and promising practices in early reading instruction). Offers recommendations for teacher and administrator preparation and professional development.…