In 1997, the Illinois legislature passed House Bill 542 (Public Act 90-548) which changed teacher tenure requirements to a four-year, multi-tiered system that called for the accumulation of professional development credit for all teachers. The primary purpose of this study was to examine district responses to the 1997 legislation. To what degree,…

To increase student achievement, schools and districts are hiring teachers as leaders to support peers in improving teaching and learning. Their roles are variously called coach, school-based staff developer, instructional specialists, or program facilitator. Yet though many have exceptional teaching skills, they seldom have a deep understanding…

The book is linked to the annual theme of the 2008 CAERDA International Conference with contributing authors serving as keynote speakers, invited panelists, paper presenters, as well as specialists and educators in the field. The book provides a most comprehensive description of and a theoretically well informed and a scholarly cogent account of…

The most frequent form of professional development for teachers--occasional workshops conducted by outside consultants--is widely regarded as ineffective. This document presents findings of a study, conducted by the Indiana Education Policy Center School of Education Office, to examine professional development and its connection to teacher time.…

This paper contains four articles that describe the philosophy and outcomes of the Child Development Project (CDP), developed by the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, California. The first article--"Giving Content to Restructuring: A Social, Ethical, and Intellectual Agenda for Elementary Education," by Marilyn Watson--describes the CDP and…

This handbook presents findings of a 2-year study that examined the role of the substitute teacher. Findings showed that the problems with substitute-teacher programs were a result of nonmanagement rather than mismanagement. The book offers recommendations for designing, implementing, and maintaining quality substitute-teacher programs. The first…

In spite of decades of research and staff development attempts, few efforts at reforming education in our schools have been successful. This paper discusses the structure of the Triad Inservice Model, a partnership specifically designed to enable teachers to control the curriculum and their own instructional techniques, and to facilitate the…

In 1994, the Nebraska Articulation Planning Team (NAPT) was created to investigate opportunities for establishing horizontal and vertical articulation, curriculum integration, and staff development in the state to provide students with seamless pathways in their movement along the educational continuum. During the 1994-95 academic year, NAPT…

This annotated bibliography offers summaries and evaluations of 23 research reports originally published from 1968 through 1995 concerning the status, acceptance, and professional development of new and junior faculty at institutions of higher education. Studies report on the sources of stress faced by new faculty, sources of aid, and programs…

A good college assessment program should include departmental level assessment to evaluate what students learn in their major field. Small colleges have unique opportunities and constraints in developing departmental assessment programs. Because of their size, small departments can use labor-intensive methods and have more opportunities for…

This report introduces the issues to be addressed in the establishment of a teaching center. The history of teaching centers in the United States dates to the early 1970's. Teaching centers were developed in response to student demands for relevant teaching and in response to the influx of non-traditional students. The most useful information to…

What happens in a writing center is always directly linked to a particular curriculum. If the "old regime" featured a 2-course writing requirement, the writing center director generally teaches in the English department and the center works closely to support composition and technical writing and advanced composition sections. Student writers may…

The Institute for Academic Leadership Development is a 2-semester practicum experience designed to help community college administrators gain leadership experience through the development and implementation of an Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP). The IPDP is designed to help participants gain a knowledge of self, capacities for…

In the spirit of educational reform efforts, this digest examines the concept of teacher-as-researcher, a concept rooted in action research. Action research is designed, conducted, and implemented by teachers themselves to improve teaching in the classroom. The research is often a collaborative activity promoting reflective teaching, critical…

The Professional Development Laboratory (P.D.L.) is a model for staff development in which experienced teachers serve as peer coaches for other teachers who want to refine their skills, learn and practice new skills, and share classroom techniques with one another, in selected New York City school districts. Visiting teachers spend 3 to 4 week…