This paper is based on a retreat in which vocational rehabilitation professionals examined their own developmental experiences in community settings and related them to their professional role. Vocational rehabilitation professionals are required to act as leaders as they facilitate the process by which people who have experienced traumatic loss…

This paper examines the need for a mentoring program for school principals in developing countries where, as in South Africa, no formal structures for principal mentorships exist. Following an overview of mentoring and a review of literature, characteristics of a successful mentoring system and effective techniques for observation and feedback are…

The School-Based Improvement Project (SBIP) is a cooperative venture between the Office of Community Education of the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS). SBIP is a multiyear professional-development initiative designed to improve the leadership of superintendents who are engaged…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the extent to which professional development techniques for teachers existed within a sample of elementary and secondary schools. Data were obtained from a survey of a random sample of 47 classroom teachers and 15 principals in one region of a large northeastern state. A majority of both…

The challenge of creating site-level support for teacher involvement in collaborative inquiry and reflective discourse is examined in this paper, which asserts that this process is an important component of school leadership in general and instructional leadership in particular. In considering the amount of "sense-making" to be…

The question of whether teaching is truly a profession and what can be done to improve it is examined in this bulletin. Although commonly viewed as a profession, teaching lacks many of the characteristics of a true profession. Teachers have little authority over their work, lack the minimum amenities and working conditions expected by other…

A view of teacher empowerment based on professional knowledge is presented in this paper. A new definition of "professional knowledge" for teachers is also proposed, based on teachers' knowledge of professional community, educational policy, and subject area. After a year of field study and a literature review of structural, formal, and…

Information about the values of workers in Botswana is provided in this paper in order to formulate a basis for more effective management education, research, and practice. Questionnaires were administered to 158 persons from Botswana (i.e., Batswana) who attended the Institute of Development Management (IDM) during 1985-89. Their responses were…

Findings from a study to determine the status of computer use by secondary principals in Kentucky are presented in this paper. Data were derived from responses of 154 principals to a statewide survey. Findings indicate that a majority of the principals were uninformed and poorly trained to use computers in the management of their schools. The…

This paper describes a proposed five-phase model for assessing the instructional leadership of rural school administrators. In phase one, assessors conduct a structured interview to determine participants' understanding of the skills and functions required of the instructional leader. Phase two allows participants to review and evaluate video…

Family-to-Family, a collaboration between community colleges, public agencies, and businesses that is funded by Mervyn's department stores, is a two-year effort to enhance the quality of family child care in Oregon. Its goals are to train at least 450 family child care providers, help at least 60 providers achieve national accreditation, and…

School librarians have a vital role in improving the curriculum and assisting students to be happy, contented, and achieving individuals. Continuous progress of each librarian is a must through inservice education. Means of assisting librarians to attain well include: (1) a professional library with time set aside for reading and discussing ideas…

Although outdoor leadership does not appear to be coalescing into a unified profession, there are potential solutions to this fragmentation. Six robust approaches to the professional provision of outdoor leadership are: (1) outfitting and guiding; (2) organized camping; (3) adventure education, such as Outward Bound; (4) the outdoor school; (5)…

Information to help local school districts in Minnesota plan for and use revenue reserved for staff development is provided in this research-referenced planning guide. Following the introduction, chapter 2 focuses on decision-making aspects of staff development and offers a conceptual model of decision-making choice points in the planning process.…

Staff development for middle-grades educators has become increasingly important as theory, research, practice, and policy have converged to produce information and recommendations to revise and improve middle-grades education. This report includes a review of the major purposes of staff development, data on teacher reactions to staff development…