Findings of a study that examined the needs of beginning school principals are presented in this paper, with a focus on the differences in perceptions of aspiring and experienced principals. A questionnaire was mailed to 420 aspiring school principals in 5 universities in 3 states and to 100 practicing elementary, middle, and secondary principals…

Mentoring is important in developing successful professionals in a variety of fields. The mentor offers the protege a source of knowledge and support, which, in turn, gives the mentor satisfaction. To find a mentor, a person usually decides on a field of interest, and once this is accomplished, the individual searches for someone with similar…

This book deals with the process dimensions of curriculum development through the prism of creative imagination and self-expression. Its theme is that personal and professional growth can occur in tandem. It shows how to create settings and learning communities that empower people to identify and use their talents. Case studies of critical…

This document consists of 11 issues of the newsletter, "Community Update," published between April 1994 and March 1995. The newsletter provides information to help schools and communities reach the National Education Goals. Each issue contains announcements of monthly satellite town meetings; developments and issues relating to the Goals…

This occasional paper describes the National Council for History Education's program of professional development for history teachers along with the principles that were used to institute the program. The manual is intended as a guide for educators to establish their own history colloquium programs. The 10 sections are: (1)…

A study was undertaken to determine if men dominated classroom participation in an adult professional training setting. A literature review identified a number of studies exploring classroom participation based on gender, but no study within a training environment was identified. The study was conducted in a mandatory sales training course, called…

This paper is presented as one stage of a dissertation project titled "Educational Reform as a Social Field: Structuration of Discourse in Teacher Education in Finland." It examines educational transformations and continuities through a discourse analysis of governmental committee reports on teacher education, focusing primarily on the…

Small schools may resist educational reform because they view the implementation of change as too costly and time consuming. Formation of a consortium of small schools allows the pooling of staff and resources, thereby increasing capabilities while maintaining the positive attributes of small schools. In rural northeastern Oregon, eight small…

This monograph explores the changing role of the academic department chair in the areas of leadership, influence, and faculty development. The paper uses research insights to explore the situation of an academic chair who is squeezed between the demands of upper administration and the expectations of faculty, staff, and students. Studies of the…

This digest explores the changing role of the academic department chair in the areas of leadership, influence, and faculty development. The paper uses research insights to explore the situation of an academic chair who is squeezed between the demands of upper administration and the expectations of faculty, staff, and students. Studies of the roles…

Resources to support curriculum renewal in small rural schools are severely limited. This handbook reports how five professional teacher networks expand available resources through the collective efforts of network members. The networks are Big Sky Telegraph (Montana), Alaskan Teacher Research Network, Bitterroot Teachers' Network (the Idaho…

This Digest discusses the increase in the number of immigrant secondary school students who come to the United States with limited education and effective programs for serving this student population. For these students to succeed in school, they must learn to read, write, understand, and speak English, develop academic literacy in English to make…

In a climate of increasing concern with educational accountability and quality, it has been important to reappraise the issues of assessment and evaluation in relation to early childhood care and education. This document is comprised of three papers describing approaches to assessment and evaluation used in Te Whariki, a national curriculum…

This guide helps advance professional development schools (PDSs) in assisting the simultaneous renewal of teacher education and schools, offering concrete suggestions regarding the financing and policies needed for PDSs. The publication offers information to help people make informed decisions concerning the laws, regulations and finances of PDSs.…

This study examined preservice teachers' views at the beginning and end of a Professional Development School (PDS) collaboration project in terms of their stages of concern about teaching, teacher efficacy, understanding and implementation of integrated curriculum, and implementation of technology in instruction. The study also compared…