The development of an organization that gives preservice science teachers opportunities to participate actively in their own professional development is described. The activities, projects, and funding of the Future Science Teachers of America (FSTA) group are discussed. (KR)

Urges sociologists to direct more attention toward computer usage because of computers' increasing importance in producing sociological knowledge. Criticizes professional ambivalence toward computer technology as inhibiting creative software development and adequate training of sociologists in computer methods. Concludes that sociology's…

Describes how the College of Education at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville initiated partner school relationships with three local school districts, outlines partnership activities, presents partnership research projects, and discusses future initiatives, including establishment of a professional development school. (IAH)

In Australia, school-based curriculum development (SBCD) encountered significant problems during the 1970s because of insufficient teacher preparation, unchanging school structures, and conservative community expectations. This article examines SBCD as a 1990s policy option and places it within a professionally oriented context. Because of equity…

Recent growth in professional courses in continuing and community education in Britain is occurring at the same time as substantial reduction in funding and increased marginalization in local and federal government policy. (SK)

To enculturate the young and help them reason successfully, teachers need appropriate pedagogical and school renewal skills. An interview-based survey disclosed chronic prestige deprivation in the teacher education enterprise, lack of program coherence, theory-practice separation, and stifling bureaucratic regulations. Three promising…

Discusses reevaluation of the status of the physical education profession. To achieve professional respectability, physical educators must produce scholarly and scientific knowledge. The article reviews U.S. medicine at the turn of the century, noting the medical profession's struggles 100 years ago were similar to those faced by physical…

This review examines studies on the workplace socialization of classroom teachers according to functionalist and interpretive perspectives, analyzes literature on school contexts that support socialization to career-long professional growth and inquiry, and considers the research implications for studying the socialization of special education…

Reviews the literature concerning upward evaluation of supervisors and directors in libraries and suggests that upward evaluation can aid professional development. Research at the University of Texas at Austin is highlighted, and pilot research at Western Kentucky University libraries that used job analysis to develop a questionnaire for…

Reviews three books (1) "Montessori Play and Learn: A Parents Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six" (Lesley Britton); (2) "Health and Safety in Child Care" (Susan S. Aronson); and (3) "The Schoolhome: Rethinking Schools for Changing Families" (Jane Roland Martin). (MDM)

Discusses results of a 1989-90 survey of 70 randomly selected international schools and 70 randomly selected Department of Defense Schools in Europe. Programs and practices surveyed included enrollments, grade organization, curriculum and instructional plans, core subjects, grouping patterns, exploratory courses, advisory programs, and scheduling.…

Effective-schools research indicates that greater community involvement in school management usually enhances children's cognitive and affective development. Future school effectiveness will be influenced by how successfully school councils and governing bodies function. Without adequate, ongoing inservice training for participants, school…

In social work literature, explanations for new graduates' difficulties include role-organizational conflict, problems with learning transfer, assumptions about theory and practice, and experience of oppositions. Three modes of discourse (technical rationality, practical reflectivity, critical reflectivity) have different ideas and ideals about…

Analysis of data from 827 professional educators, using the Career Awareness Index and the Instrument Summary Assessment Program, indicates that "burnout" may be an inappropriate descriptor of low to moderate levels of self-efficacy and personal productivity. Professional development activities should be specifically designed to match individual…

Argues against a graduate field of study in world history as too general. Suggests developing a specialization in comparative history to encompass major culture areas. Uses multiple elements to develop comparative history courses. Proposes graduate seminars where students discuss works in cross-cultural comparative history. (NL)