This document consists of four quarterly issues of a newsletter for Illinois early childhood directors, providing information on current issues in early childhood education. Regular features in each issue include "The Director's Toolbox," delineating practical suggestions for directors related to program policies and staff issues;…

This proceedings is devoted to the publication of research papers in mathematics, science, and technology education, covering domain/content areas such as learning and the learner, curriculum and materials, instruction, assessment and evaluation, history and philosophy of science, and teacher preparation and professional development. Papers in…

This paper explores the topic of mentoring and its practical implications. Mentoring requirements have changed over time. Today's mentors are influential people who significantly help others reach major life goals. Mentoring has to address broad, dynamic goals in today's society. Benefits for mentors can include enhanced self-esteem, rejuvenated…

This report describes specific reform practices schools are implementing to realize the vision set forth in the National Association of Secondary School Principals document, "Breaking Ranks," which calls for changes in curriculum, instruction, assessment, school organization, professional development, community partnerships, and…

The literature describes a wide range of possible outcomes related to teacher development. From candidates' preservice training, to staff development for teachers, consistent growth and change occurs. The stages of this growth have been viewed as discreet units of training and practice. The literature suggests a number of methods for correcting…

Administrators can acquire a broader range of material drawn from Shakespeare and, by implication, from other great authors as sources for a fuller cognizance of life. The vast field of Shakespearean scholarship and criticism overshadows the works themselves. Nevertheless, adults can rediscover Shakespeare through performances and recreational…

Issues in the educational administration knowledge base are discussed in this paper, with attention to its definition, extent, and usefulness. The discussion is based on the premises that the knowledge base lacks: (1) organization; (2) definition and applicability; and (3) comprehensiveness and usefulness. Other hindrances to developing a…

Several reports on the link between the economy and the quality of child care indicate that: (1) early care and education benefits two generations of workers; (2) quality is essential to, but is rarely found in, early care and education programs; and (3) the key to quality is the professional development of practitioners. A vision of dynamic…

This paper examines four issues relevant to planning the use of funding resources for installing a career development system for practitioners in the early childhood education field. The first issue concerns the need for a career development system. Arguments for the importance of such a system are based on the need for a dynamic career ladder and…

The competency movement, or "the cult of competency," is critiqued in this paper, which argues that the movement is less concerned with the complex facets of competence than it is with a technology of specific knowledge and application. Educational institutions have several message systems through which objectives can be achieved:…

This report argues a case for the use of professional teaching portfolios by educators in higher education, advances a point of view about portfolio issues, and offers examples of portfolio entries. A work-sample-plus-reflection model is presented as a guide for what might be included in a portfolio and why it might be used at a particular campus.…

Produced by agriscience and agrimarketing teachers, teacher educators in agriculture, and state supervisory staff in agricultural education in Louisiana, this guide was developed to aid experienced and beginning agriscience and agrimarketing teachers to plan and conduct effective summer programs. The guide is organized in the following seven major…

This guide is intended to assist groups of special educators to plan, design, and implement mutual professional support activities. The first section, on the nature of professional support groups, presents a definition and discussion of activity focus, format, permanence of focus, and structure. The second section looks specifically at the role of…

In considering exactly what takes place in creative writing classrooms, this collection of 22 essays reexamines the profession of writing teacher and ponders why certain practices and contexts prevail. The essays and their authors are as follows: "Introduction: Of Radishes and Shadows, Theory and Pedagogy" (Hans Ostrom); (1) "The…

This study examines continuing education and professional development of 210 health sciences librarians affiliated with 70 academic medical libraries in the United States, which has the most advanced system of education in librarianship in the world. Of the 102 respondents, the largest categories were library directors/administrators and public…