A schema a frame creates context and shapes interpretation. Using an "as if" framework can connect the contexts of training and job performance to improve transfer. Techniques that create "as if" situations include role playing, visualization, psychodrama, voice dialogue, improvisation, playback theatre, and six-steps reframing. (Contains 23…

Like wildflowers blooming in the cracks of city sidewalks, reflective practice celebrates the organic over the artificial. Inquiry-oriented teaching, rejecting logical-positivist methods, engages teachers in a cycle of thought and action based on professional experience. Teachers subjected to quality control pressures reduce their teaching to the…

Describes the development of job-specific performance appraisal factors for 375 of the 450 classifications in a county government, which covered 90 percent of all employees. (Author)

More states and school districts are using nontraditional means to recruit and certify teachers. This article distinguishes between alternative and emergency certification, outlines components of successful alternative certification programs, lists advantages, and describes some presidential initiatives and a federally funded Mid-Career Teacher…

Describes strategies for improving performance appraisal systems and examines common features of appraisal systems in large companies. Highlights include rating scales; ranking; forced distributions; tying performance appraisal to strategic business goals; frequency of reviews; development plans versus evaluation only; and group review meetings.…

Used the Job Feedback Survey and performance data to examine the relationship between perceived organizational feedback environment and performance among 152 salaried employees. Higher performers were found to have received more total positive feedback, while expressions of dissatisfaction or anger from supervisors was related to lower…

Data collected at two law enforcement agencies were used to address three specific issues concerning frame-of-reference rater training: (1) prototype-anchored rating system; (2) sensitivity and threshold analyses to identify idiosyncratic raters; and (3) areas of performance where supervisors and subordinates were likely to disagree on frame of…

Provides examples of the advantages minority journalists can bring to their work, including life experiences and cultural insights. Interviews three journalists on how their minority backgrounds enriched and improved their job performance. (LS)

Reports results of a questionnaire completed by 18 supervisors of entry-level employees. Supervisors ranked each of their subordinates from most to least likely to be hired and identified the behaviors that made these individuals more or less valuable to the organization. Implications and recommendations are presented. (CH)

Describes the reasons that child care workers may lack enthusiasm. Discusses the design of effective training programs for employees who lack enthusiasm and provides suggestions for training paraprofessional staff. (RJC)

Suggests that child care competency and compensation evaluations should follow different performance review schedules. Benefits would include teacher growth; frequent and direct feedback; the separation of competency and compensation in the minds of administrators and teachers; and appropriate salary increases. (RJC)

Discusses the need to develop ways of measuring the cost effectiveness of investment in employee training. Examples of employees with various training needs and their possible impact on the organization are presented, the replacement of humans with machine intelligence is discussed, and the application of performance technology is suggested. (LRW)

Worker reactivity patterns were examined in a study of two women with mild and moderate mental retardation who self-monitored their work productivity with and without external surveillance. Findings suggest that surveillance is a setting event that may be important in achieving and maintaining self-management program benefits. (MSE)

Discusses the increasing concern for public service quality, morale, and compensation. Suggests that compensation is a major determinant of whether or not governmental units attract high-grade applicants and retain them. Compares salary increases of the last decade with the consumer price index. (CH)

The Peer-Assisted Leadership (PAL) Program created at Far West Laboratory (San Francisco, California) gives principals and vice-principals a year-long professional development program to reduce their isolation and improve their instructional leadership performance through nonevaluative peer observation and reflection. A key element is challenge…