Issues in the educational administration knowledge base are discussed in this paper, with attention to its definition, extent, and usefulness. The discussion is based on the premises that the knowledge base lacks: (1) organization; (2) definition and applicability; and (3) comprehensiveness and usefulness. Other hindrances to developing a…

Several reports on the link between the economy and the quality of child care indicate that: (1) early care and education benefits two generations of workers; (2) quality is essential to, but is rarely found in, early care and education programs; and (3) the key to quality is the professional development of practitioners. A vision of dynamic…

This paper examines four issues relevant to planning the use of funding resources for installing a career development system for practitioners in the early childhood education field. The first issue concerns the need for a career development system. Arguments for the importance of such a system are based on the need for a dynamic career ladder and…

The competency movement, or "the cult of competency," is critiqued in this paper, which argues that the movement is less concerned with the complex facets of competence than it is with a technology of specific knowledge and application. Educational institutions have several message systems through which objectives can be achieved:…

This report argues a case for the use of professional teaching portfolios by educators in higher education, advances a point of view about portfolio issues, and offers examples of portfolio entries. A work-sample-plus-reflection model is presented as a guide for what might be included in a portfolio and why it might be used at a particular campus.…

Produced by agriscience and agrimarketing teachers, teacher educators in agriculture, and state supervisory staff in agricultural education in Louisiana, this guide was developed to aid experienced and beginning agriscience and agrimarketing teachers to plan and conduct effective summer programs. The guide is organized in the following seven major…

This guide is intended to assist groups of special educators to plan, design, and implement mutual professional support activities. The first section, on the nature of professional support groups, presents a definition and discussion of activity focus, format, permanence of focus, and structure. The second section looks specifically at the role of…

In considering exactly what takes place in creative writing classrooms, this collection of 22 essays reexamines the profession of writing teacher and ponders why certain practices and contexts prevail. The essays and their authors are as follows: "Introduction: Of Radishes and Shadows, Theory and Pedagogy" (Hans Ostrom); (1) "The…

This study examines continuing education and professional development of 210 health sciences librarians affiliated with 70 academic medical libraries in the United States, which has the most advanced system of education in librarianship in the world. Of the 102 respondents, the largest categories were library directors/administrators and public…

The common thread that runs through the activities in a literacy course for undergraduate preservice teachers is text. One such activity is a literacy autobiography in which students focus on themselves as learners and teachers. Students are treated as professionals and make their own decisions about how they want to present themselves to their…

This paper describes the efforts of a private Australian school system to implement practices that facilitate system-wide school effectiveness. The Diocese of Parramatta, a system of 73 primary and secondary Catholic schools, implemented system-level practices that embody elements of Fullan's (1987) notions of support and pressure. The…

In 1987, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) adopted a faculty ethics statement developed by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) detailing faculty responsibilities to their disciplines, as teachers, as colleagues, and as members of academic institutions. To make the AAUP statement more relevant to…

The regionalization of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) in special education provides an effective and cost-efficient means of delivering training to parents and professionals. Public Law 101-476, the Individuals with Disabilities Act, mandated that each state form a CSPD, primarily to prepare personnel to educate children…

This document consists of an article and a two-page illustration "Putting Together the Pieces of the Puzzle." Noting that individual schools and communities throughout Indiana continue to struggle to meet the needs of young adolescents, the article discusses the work of the Stakeholder Steering Committee of the Middle Grades Reading…

Faculty development programs encompass a wide range of activities and allow community college faculty to improve instructional material and delivery and keep the spark of creativity and enthusiasm alive under pressures from decreasing budgets and heavier workloads. A recent program at Borough of Manhattan Community College focused on student needs…