This document briefly describes one school district's experiences after deciding on a comprehensive guidance program model. The district chose the model described by Gysbers and Henderson (2000). A description is presented of the development, adoption, and implementation of the program. Staff and program assumptions needed for implementation are…

Each of the 161 National Writing Project sites offers an intensive institute every summer and invites distinguished local teachers of writing from all grade levels, from kindergarten through university, to attend. The institute focuses on these teachers, examining their exemplary classroom practices, supporting their work with research studies,…

Training is a technical term, applicable to interventions that result in a performance outcome, however, the term is often used inappropriately to elevate conglomerations of content to training status even though no performance improvement results, or is ever likely to result. Myths about evaluation, that it is optional, or too expensive, or…

The professional development program Using Literacy Integration for Communicating Scientifically (ULINCS) is a joint program of the University of Northern Colorado and Adams Twelve Five Star School District. It had been noted that the increased emphasis on literacy skills was leading educators to place less emphasis on science. The ULINCS project…

This paper focuses on a revised Professional Development School (PDS) program and what participant groups perceived to be key issues during the first year of implementation. It addresses the role of PDSs in improving the quality of beginning teachers within a non-supportive state policy environment. The George Mason University Elementary program…

This report provides useful information for those who are planning to incorporate online learning into professional development programs, as well as those who will design and implement online professional development activities. The Education Development center, Inc. (EDC) Center for Online Professional Education is continuing to explore this new…

Teachers who participated in invitational institutes of the National Writing Project (NWP) during summer 2005 responded to two surveys: a Client Satisfaction Survey immediately following the institutes, and a Follow-up Survey of Program Impact one year later. The two surveys together assess the quality and usefulness of the institutes for…

This document summarizes the results obtained by the AprenDes project in 2004, the project's first year of implementation. It provides the principal findings on program performance from a baseline in May 2004 to the end of the school year (late October 2004). Progress on a number of project objectives related to decentralized school- and…

Many children in urban communities struggle with reading and writing despite efforts to implement best instructional practices. This book will help classroom teachers, teacher educators, and undergraduate students bridge cultural gaps to help these children achieve in literacy. The reader will enrich cultural understandings as they learn about how…

"Focus on Basics" is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is…

Teachers' self-evaluation can be used as a diagnostic means by principals and coordinators in order to know where the teachers need help. This study presents a self-evaluation form designed to highlight the needs that English teachers teaching across all levels (preschool-12) at a school in Lebanon had. It was divided into two parts: the first…

A qualitative study was undertaken to examine the perceptions of beginning teachers who were evaluated through an innovative teacher evaluation process. The evaluation was the Collaborative Assessment Procedure (CAP) implemented in a large midwestern urban school district. Beginning teachers were assigned a teacher consultant who observed the…

This booklet compares the Pacesetter English course in English language arts for twelfth-grade students with the "Standards for the English Language Arts," recently published by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. The aim of the booklet is to demonstrate the links between the Standards…

From the time a new faculty member is hired until a final decision is made on promotion and tenure, his/her record will undergo constant scrutiny by departmental personnel committees, school and/or university-wide committees, external reviewers, and administrators. A formal and clear-cut mentoring system can benefit new faculty members: senior…

A diverse and growing body of research points to the need for an overhaul of America's public education systems. The Panasonic Foundation created its Partnership Program for systemic educational reform in 1987. Since then, the foundation has collaborated with 16 school districts and 3 state departments of education. This book informs others…