A small group of training professionals within the John Lewis Partnership set up an action learning group about 2 years ago. The main aim was to explore the technique for our own learning and development. The timing and lifespan of the group reflected the generally strategic and long-term nature of our projects. One of these was to introduce…

Over the past few years developments in higher education have brought us to a position where collaboration between the university and the private sector is becoming more and more common. The industry approach to continuing professional development is based on the needs of acquiring, developing and retaining a skilled and competent workforce.…

The consequences of poorly planned or random professional development for teachers in the early to mid career cycle are serious. Without input from knowledgeable mentors or supervisors, these teachers can flail about professionally. Without the benefit of individualized staff development plans, they may perpetuate ineffective teaching practices or…

This essay contends that there are fundamental connections between a nation's political arrangements and its educational efforts on behalf of youth. Though the common school architects of the nineteenth century recognized these connections, they were profoundly forgotten in a later Darwinian milieu that suggested--our allegiance to democracy…

Professional development in Rockwood School District, a suburban school district outside St. Louis, Missouri, in 1997 was focused on individual teacher development rather than organizational development. Staff learning activities were fragmented. Teachers participated in a variety of unrelated topics the district offered from month to month. An…

The rapid growth and modernization of economies in developing countries like Botswana creates new and unmet demands for certain kinds of educated and skilled labour. The expansion of secondary and tertiary school systems has also created a problem of unemployed school leavers. The growth of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs),…

This paper compares the managerial, administrative, and leadership styles of public-school superintendents and presidents of public corporations. Data were derived from questionnaires mailed to eight superintendents and seven corporate presidents. Findings show that superintendents and corporate presidents used similar leadership…

This handbook was designed to help school leaders develop a system of collaborative assessment, strategic planning, and accountability in schools and districts. It offers practical guidelines to help solve three problems central to school leadership: (1) determining a vision; (2) identifying areas requiring change; and (3) demonstrating…

This paper presents findings of a study that assessed the implementation of Total Quality Schooling (TQS) using a concerns-based model in an Ohio school district. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoC) was sent to all faculty, staff, and administrators in the district to identify employees' concerns, attitudes and perceptions about the program.…

This paper describes the process through which a troubled junior high school transformed itself into a model middle school. Teachers and administrators used the organizational mapping strategy (Shapiro 1991) to examine and reconstruct their beliefs, perceptions, and organizational traditions. The organizational-mapping strategy generates a…

North Arkansas Community/Technical College (NACTC) was formed in July 1993 by the consolidation of a community and technical college in the community of Harrison, Arkansas, but used the mission statement, goals, and institutional objectives developed by the community college. A project was undertaken to develop a process for reviewing and revising…

Conversations among educators, business leaders, legislators, and educational reformers have generated support for the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) to education. This paper considers whether TQM is indeed the solution to education's problems. After a brief explanation of TQM theory, the paper is organized around four broad issues…

This book shows how transformational leadership is expected to contribute to an organization's efforts to improve its operations and the best use of its human resources. The concepts of transactional and transformational leadership are introduced within the framework of a full-range model of leadership. This model is applied to research,…

Any type of organization can be a learning organization (LO) if it possesses certain characteristics: provide continuous learning opportunities, use learning to reach its goals, link individual performance with organizational performance, foster inquiry and dialogue, embrace creative tension as a source of energy and renewal, and be continuously…

Quality improvement, or Total Quality Management (TQM), has been used for years in the corporate world to help companies achieve better customer satisfaction, increase market share, and improve profitability. More recently, TQM has emerged as a promising strategy for school improvement and educational reform. In 1991, the school district of…