While frank evaluation of instructional improvement needs is an important element in faculty development, it does not work well in a highly evaluative climate. Developmental and evaluative activities can be integrated effectively with a long-range perspective; when periodic evaluations are required, administration should reward effort without…

Data from elementary and secondary principals and teachers identified six recommendations for improving school based professional development: (preparing an articulated mission; planning for professional development at the school and practitioner level; implementing the plan; providing broad support for professional development; building and…

This study examined the effectiveness of an inservice elementary health education training. Pretesting and posttesting of teachers who did and did not participate indicated that intervention participants scored significantly higher on efficacy and outcome expectations subscales, taught more hours of health, and put more effort into specific health…

Reports a study that examined how academic qualifications, professional training, teaching experience, and professional development affected teacher professionalism. Surveys of secondary teachers from 11 Singapore schools indicated that academic qualifications and teaching experience did not affect professionalism, but that professional…

South Carolina's state-mandated staff development initiative, the Physical Education Institute, emphasized how to teach high school student performance indicators. Researchers investigated factors that facilitated or hindered implementation of the performance indicators. Data from three schools indicated that lead teachers facilitated the extent…

States that professional development programs, though they run the gamut from fledgling to comprehensive, have developed over the last three decades as a result of the rapid growth of the community college. Examines some of the early struggles of the professional development movement and discusses future challenges. (AUTH/NB)

Examines perspectives of faculty leaders regarding current evaluation practices for tenured faculty in the nation's community colleges. Notes that results closely resemble findings from research in the early nineties, wherein faculty reported that policies existed in all of the 930 institutions surveyed, but that their effectiveness was suspect.…

Identifies characteristics of instructional technology that may influence faculty members' willingness to integrate it into teaching. Presents results of a study on effectiveness of a faculty training program designed to encourage faculty to adopt a course management system in their classroom-based, undergraduate courses. The program was based on…

Evaluated how teacher education promoted active learning from the perspective of Finnish student teachers, teacher educators, classroom teachers, and students. Data from surveys and interviews indicated that schools and teacher education departments were in the midst of a cultural change. While there were many indicators of active learning, there…

Documented an elementary school that implemented student portfolios as port of a comprehensive school reform effort. Findings indicated that portfolios were an important mechanism through which teachers came to deeper understanding of their professional practices. Teachers began to recognize changes in classroom practice and school-wide…

Investigated teachers' beliefs about the role of empathy in their effectiveness with culturally diverse students. All respondents had participated in a multicultural professional development course geared to fostering culturally responsive practice. Teachers felt that empathy was necessary, but not sufficient, for working with culturally diverse…

Empathic e-mailing is one way of bringing new teachers together with their mentors without changing established schedules. This article notes the basic elements of effective and poor e-mail communication and describes how one public school system augments its mentor training staff development program with empathic writing, both during summer…

Reviews research concerning the effectiveness of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) in higher education, focusing on what it demonstrates about WAC's value in improving subject-area knowledge and writing skills. Concludes that the approach can be effective, but that collaborative, inclusive effort to implement it is needed, including teacher…

The goal of a university's human infrastructure is to make the faculty self-sufficient, life-long learners. Criteria for establishing a baseline faculty development program for technology include scaleability, functionality, sustainability, integration of existing resources, information competence, and access. Design and implementation principles…

Discusses the reluctance of many teachers to embrace innovative teaching strategies because of ethical concerns. Identifies ethical principles and other factors of ethical decision making, demonstrates their application using case studies and fictional vignettes involving attempts at innovation, and outlines a faculty development process in…