Professional development schools (PDS) offer significant promise for restructuring university-school district relationships around a common agenda of modeling exemplary practice, preparing teachers, and conducting research. Central to the success of such efforts will be the development of shared vision regarding the teaching profession and the…

Though increasing attention has been focused on overcoming basic and functional illiteracy, little attention has been paid to adult literacy educators' professional development. A study identified the education and training needs of Florida's literacy leadership. Instructor and administrator surveys were sent to all agencies receiving funding from…

This document is the second volume of the Adult Literacy Leadership Project, an effort to identify the educational and training needs of Florida's literacy personnel--instructors, administrators, and advisors. This volume contains three background research papers on topics related to the theme of the study used in preparing its analysis and…

This paper explores why and how cases might be used by teacher educators in the professional education of teachers; directs teachers to case materials and relevant articles on case use; suggests guidelines for evaluating cases; and provides a starter set of cases (involving special needs students) that can be photocopied for use in general and…

Findings of a study that examined principals' leadership behaviors in implementing a systemic program for school reform and improvement are presented in this paper. The program, Reaching Success through Involvement (RSI), is an implementation strategy that involves comprehensive assessment and student leader participation. A survey was…

Findings of a study that explored the ways in which teachers' understandings about pedagogy evolve are presented in this paper. Previous teacher development research suggests that teachers' understandings evolve in a lawful, linear way. Although the expression of the different levels is clear, the evolution process is not. Methodology involved a…

This study compared the job satisfaction, professional commitment, and perceived level of support from peers of family day care providers who were in networking groups or who worked in isolation. Subjects were providers in suburban Chicago, 30 of whom were associated with a network and 30 of whom were independent providers. Subjects were surveyed…

Findings of a study that examined the effect of participation in Danforth Foundation-sponsored principal training programs on participants' perceptions of leadership and administrative behaviors are presented in this paper. The field-based program aims to increase minority representation in educational leadership. Interviews, on-site observation,…

The 1991 National Community Education Needs Assessment Survey focused on material and training needs. A more than 65 percent return rate on the open-ended survey indicated commitment and concern of community educators; 263 community education contacts completed the 4-page survey. The typical community educator who responded was the director of…

Educational policy analysts have recognized the need for an educational policy that combines the merits of "top-down" mandates with "bottom-up" teacher discretion. This paper describes the Reading Recovery program as an example of an educational program that balances top-down direction and bottom-up discretion by: (1) providing an overall…

Intended to help beginning vocational teachers make a smooth transition into the field of teaching, this document contains five guides that give a complete set of instructions for implementing, operating, and evaluating a comprehensive Professional Development Program for Beginning Vocational Teachers. The guides follow an introduction and…

The status of science and social studies education in rural schools seems marginal. This study collected information on the issue by an interview survey. Nine public schools that enrolled 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in rural northeast Alabama and northwest Georgia were randomly selected for the study. The principal, librarian, a science…

The purpose of this manual is to promote the inclusion of special needs children in child care environments by applying an eight-step process of training, mentoring, and evaluating. The material in the manual covers approximately 6 months of enabling experiences for child care center owners and directors preparing to include special needs children…

A study evaluated the extent to which Employee Development (ED) projects provided increased opportunities for continuing general education and training for employees in Britain. A questionnaire that sought to relate employer involvement in ED to wider issues of workplace culture, personnel, and training policies was sent to 70 firms; 50 percent…

Tompkins Cortland Community College (TCCC) in Dryden, New York, opened the College Teaching Center (CTC) in 1988 to address the professional development needs of full- and part-time faculty. The CTC is an autonomous, faculty-directed, professional development program with its own budget and Board of Directors. Activities sponsored by the CTC are…