College and university strategic planning works best when staff performance appraisal and development are used together to bring about both organizational and individual change. However, these must be more than bureaucratic exercises unrelated to daily staff management. Individual staff must be able to see themselves as important in carrying out…

Provides the results of a survey of science teachers (n=635) regarding the status of computer use and professional development needs related to the use of computers in classrooms. Results indicate that 91% of the classrooms have computers. Professional development needs are categorized by groups: non/past users, novices, and users/experts. (DDR)

Data from elementary and secondary principals and teachers identified six recommendations for improving school based professional development: (preparing an articulated mission; planning for professional development at the school and practitioner level; implementing the plan; providing broad support for professional development; building and…

Three learning concepts important for adult learners are that learning is accelerated by making connections to prior information, people learn best when actively constructing knowledge, and instruments are important in supporting knowledge retrieval and construction. The paper explains how index cards can be useful instruments in learning. (SM)

Presents reflections of a veteran teacher about the relationship between veteran and new teachers; about the trends of change in educational approaches; and about the benefit of summer programs for teachers. Shares some opinions about educational issues, such as standardized testing and busing. (TB)

The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future concluded that reforming education hinges on restructuring the teaching profession. Major barriers include inadequate teacher education, slipshod recruitment, haphazard hiring and induction, inadequate professional development and recognition, and failure-prone schools. The commission…

The creators of a "virtual" professional development school say that young children pass easily between "real" and "virtual" learning situations. Online learning features much more independent learning and far less teaching, with students often setting the learning agenda. Administrators have changing…

When teachers become technologically literate, students are the beneficiaries. Principals can ensure that appropriate supports are present and the school climate encourages teachers' professional development efforts. One such program is Computer Assisted Teacher Talk, a summer-institute program that helps teachers learn to use computers to foster…

Discusses professional development intervention that attempted to start a professional community of secondary mathematics teachers through in-service work on mathematical problem solving and technology. Suggests that use of mathematical content explorations in professional development settings help mathematics teachers build professional…

Provides an overview of the PROLIB and EDULIB projects, which involved the development and delivery of distance learning courses in the Slovak language to library and information professionals in the Slovak Republic. Explains the combination of face-to-face lecture sessions, group discussions, self-study workbooks, and computer-mediated Internet…

Examines the skills and abilities needed to interact with text on the Internet. Proposes that the Internet provides opportunities for interacting with new text formats, reader elements, and activities. Notes that it also expands and influences the sociocultural context in which a student learns to read. Considers the implications of a broader…

States that professional development programs, though they run the gamut from fledgling to comprehensive, have developed over the last three decades as a result of the rapid growth of the community college. Examines some of the early struggles of the professional development movement and discusses future challenges. (AUTH/NB)

Examines perspectives of faculty leaders regarding current evaluation practices for tenured faculty in the nation's community colleges. Notes that results closely resemble findings from research in the early nineties, wherein faculty reported that policies existed in all of the 930 institutions surveyed, but that their effectiveness was suspect.…

Investigates the association between attitude towards the philosophy of science and academic qualification professional training. Analyzes responses from 33 A-level biology teachers to a questionnaire and reports from teachers in Harare on their school contexts. Suggests that the differential distribution of facilities and resources across school…

Discusses the role and nature of pedagogic discourse. Suggests that teacher talk plays an important role in the learning of radically, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students. Examines the way a teacher uses her talk in teaching and how her 5th grade Latino students develop control over the mathematics discourse. (Author/KHR)