Reports the results of a project designed to make hands-on science the predominant mode of instruction in the elementary schools of a metropolitan district. A pretest/posttest questionnaire was administered to participants in an inservice workshop conducted by colleagues. Results indicated significant changes in teachers' beliefs about teaching…

The new kinds of teaching required to implement curriculum reforms like the California Curriculum Frameworks are incompletely defined and impossible to learn in quick-fix workshops. Teachers need to have "instructional conversations" with students that engage their interest, focus on a definite subject, and encourage full participation…

Evaluation of TASH (The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps) Technical Assistance Project found it to be effective in providing inservice training for staff working with individuals with deaf-blindness. The project involves prioritization of training needs, team planning, follow-up activities, and use of consultants to deliver technical…

Technology cannot resolve instructional problems unless teachers are involved in the technology decision-making process. To be truly empowered, educators must perform curriculum, student, and community needs analyses; determine curricular objectives; develop district and school plans; provide cooperative teacher training prior to initiation; and…

Discusses promising professional development strategies for schools seeking to operate as learning communities. Recent shifts in conceptions of schools and implications of these shifts for school leadership are explored, and the principles of professional development are discussed which are then connected to recommendations for staff developers.…

Describes a cyclical model for identifying training and staff development needs within a local education authority in Gwent (United Kingdom). The model's features include local representation of school staff, prioritization of needs, and the evaluation of training effectiveness in schools. This model appears to be more successful than previous…

Examples of inservice programs and procedures at two hypothetical high schools reveal the principal's true role in promoting positive change through staff development. With school improvement at stake, the principal must concentrate on commitment, collaboration, communication, and coordination. (MLH)

Planning for tomorrow's educational technology should consider access over specific hardware and software packages. Five essential planning components are networking, telecommunications, connections, teacher training, and funding. Some networking applications include well-distributed and well-integrated software that is easily adaptable to…

Provides a brief description of the U.S. Constitutional provisions and public laws affecting transportation of students with disabilities. Lists suggested inservice training program elements to ensure the provision of adequate training necessary to safely transport students with disabilities. (MLF)

A survey of special education or transition coordinators across South Carolina found that half the school districts employed one or more paraprofessionals to assist students with disabilities in occupational education classes. Only one-third of districts reported providing training, though almost all respondents felt that training was needed…

Since teachers have the most direct, sustained contact with students and considerable control over the teaching/learning climate, improving teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions is critical to enhancing student achievement. Professional development must also address schoolwide professional community and school program coherence. Two…

The terms school culture, climate and ethos appear to be used interchangeably. Within the context of differing national environments there is, however, a tendency to use climate when objective data is under consideration, ethos when more subjective descriptors are involved, and culture when these two are brought together as an integrative force in…

The materials contained in this Early Integration Training Project manual are designed for trainers who are interested in facilitating an increase in the integrated options available for young children with disabilities and their families. The training is more process than content oriented and is highly dependent upon group interactions. It…

This learning activities guide was developed as part of Project CRAFT (Culturally Responsive and Family Focused Training), an effort to train service providers in California in ways of working with young children (particularly those with disabilities) and their families from diverse cultural backgrounds. The learning activities are intended to be…

The experiences and results of the Urban/Rural School Development Program, a federally-sponsored effort to improve education in poor communities, are reviewed in this study. The thrust of the program was to involve community members and school staff from 25 extremely poor neighborhoods in equal decision making focused on the use of staff…