If you are looking for a book that provides concrete advice for establishing group reflection, then "Talking Teaching" is the perfect choice. The work is the product of a 3-year grant-supported induction year program. College faculty from an associated group of colleges joined staff developers from a growing suburban district in creating an entire…

Professional development activities have proven adequate to facilitate mastery of new content, inform teachers of best practice, and for dissemination of information, however, such efforts fail to address the emotional and personal aspects of the teaching profession. Here is a hands-on activities book that provides school leaders an easy-to-use…

It's true that students gain more from learning experiences when they're encouraged to plan their activities, share their knowledge with one another, and tailor material to their own needs. So why not create a professional development program that gives teachers the same range of options? This book provides the framework and steps to help…

Any principal starting at a new school or taking a leadership position for the first time needs this book to help focus on the issues that are most critical to success. Drawing from research data and advice from experienced principals, the authors reveal secrets that can make or break a new school leader's career: (1) Three stages of becoming…

In August 2004, the WVDE asked the Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, Inc. to evaluate the demonstration project, in order to meet the evaluation and reporting requirements set forth in the law. According to Fink (1993), baseline evaluation data allow for subsequent analyses of the effect or impact of a program. The purpose of this…

The experiences of knowledgeable and practiced academics who have held full-time positions both in conventional and distance education (single/dual mode) institutions would be a strong resource in determining the differences and challenges that affect the future evolution of the virtual professor. The issues of instruction, institutional service…

The work-based learning model of human resource development has captured a great deal of attention and has gained increasing importance in higher education in recent years. Work-based learning is a powerful phenomenon that attempts to help policy-makers, managers and curriculum developers improve the quality of the decision and organizational…

The current report explores what is available to superintendents after they assume their positions: what the landscape of sustained executive training and support options available for sitting school system leaders looks like. It describes about two dozen programs offered around the country-who offers them, how they are organized and funded, what…

The third research study in a series of qualitative studies examines the functions and practices of local professional development committees in Ohio. This descriptive study interviewed key informants from five Local Professional Development Committees (LPDCs) regarding their processes and practices. Resultant data indicated that several districts…

In March 2002, 20 principals, superintendents, and instructional supervisors from the Delta and Black Belt regions of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi met in a Rural School Leaders Working Group. They discussed issues, challenges, and opportunities for school leadership from their perspectives as experienced leaders in what are…

This document presents best practice recommendations for important elements of environmental education including content, program development and implementation, assessment and evaluation, and professional development. Written for providers of environmental education, the guide is designed to help environmental education providers develop and…

Noting that the first decade of the new millennium is sure to see continuing efforts to reform curriculum and classroom practices by implementing the middle school concept, this booklet answers middle school teachers' most pressing questions about the cornerstone of the middle school concept, integrated curriculum. The 20 questions addressed…

This paper aims to show how its author/researchers were brought to reconsider some of the assumptions behind a small arc project that was being conducted on the professional development of student teachers in Australia. A small group of English Method students were invited to participate in three focus group interviews: before their first teaching…

Getting real educational benefits from investments in technology requires careful planning. Based on the experience of implementing PLATO[R] at over 5,000 sites, a nine-step planning model for implementing technology was developed. The nine planning tasks are based on the understanding of the factors that are critical to the success of most…

This multi-participant case study used a phenomenological lens to understand the ways that science teachers make sense of implementing instructional innovations following their participation in a year-long biotechnology professional development program. Sources of data included a series in-depth interviews used to collect teachers' stories of…