A study of women's access to professional development leave in Australia suggests that the unequal position already held by women in the academic hierarchy is contributed to and maintained by unequal eligibility for leave, and that the burden then falls disproportionately on women to fill in for other faculty on leave. (MSE)

An ethnographic study of preservice teachers' professional perspectives indicated how important ethnographic methods are to study the complex process of teacher socialization. The article describes how preservice teachers create a practical philosophy of teaching and examines the psycho-social dynamics that underlie the development of professional…

Teacher dialogs are a powerful staff development tool, involving a few teachers who meet during school hours on a regular basis to discuss instructional issues using a constructivist approach. The article examines ways to schedule time to maximize teacher learning and presents a model of staff development based on constructivist thinking. (SM)

Describes a comprehensive study of faculty development programs in Ohio two-year colleges conducted to determine the existence of programs and the relationship between development and reward structures. Indicates that no college in the study had a formalized, structured faculty development program. Suggests that faculty development appears to be a…

Describes TEMPO (Teaching Educators McGuffey Practicums Off-Grounds), a program at the University of Virginia that combines satellite broadcasts with two-way audio and live onsite instruction. The program delivers graduate reading courses to 50 different sites. Highlights include instructional design challenges, extra support for faculty, and…

Discusses the importance of mentoring to faculty development programs, reviewing basic concepts, theories, and research related to mentoring. Indicates that faculty mentoring programs can provide ways for educators to understand diversity, learn about teaching techniques, and feel supported by other faculty members. Describes features of…

Increasingly, colleges and universities are instituting periodic evaluations of tenured faculty with the objective of encouraging faculty development. Some faculty question the need for posttenure review. Supporters feel the trend may strengthen tenure by providing evidence in its defense. (MSE)

Assessment can assist key steps in the development of effective school improvement planning (SIP) programs. The article refers to an SIP Action Guide, highlighting four occasions during use of the Action Guide when assessment processes are key (assessment within action plans and assessment to identify strengths, concerns, and possible causes). (SM)

Reviews the contributions that academic deans can make to community colleges' scholarly endeavors (e.g., developing the college's intellectual climate, supporting professional development opportunities, fostering student scholarship, and undertaking his/her own scholarly activities). (DMM)

This article describes and presents evaluation results of a faculty promotion program initiated at the Medical College of Georgia. The program assists faculty in career development by facilitating faculty research and publication and in helping to secure extramural funding for its participants. (GLR)

Reviews research literature concerning the rates of participation in and the effectiveness of instructional development programs in community colleges. Considers methodologies and findings, and concludes that the most effective methods (e.g., microteaching, minigrants, consultants) respect teachers' desire to be experts in specialized disciplinary…

Describes New York City's International High School, in which all students are limited English proficient, focusing on faculty language resources, cooperative education, interdisciplinary presentation of English as a Second Language, and shared faculty and staff leadership. (CB)

Describes the American Association of Community and Junior College's Advancing the Humanities Project, which is developing Regional Humanities Networks to assist humanities faculty in communicating with their colleagues throughout the region and revitalizing their own teaching via conferences, mentoring components, and various networking…

Proposes a framework for designing staff development to implement technology in schools, focusing on needs assessment to ensure the transfer of knowledge and skills into regular teaching practice. Components of the model provide teachers with instruction, modeling, coaching, and empowerment. The article offers examples of cognitive apprenticeship…

A discussion of mentoring at Purdue University's pharmacy school describes the role of mentoring in the overall faculty development process and outlines 3 general principles of mentoring and 10 specific principles found useful in developing relationships with junior faculty. The school's statement of commitment to faculty development is appended.…