A study sought objective information about inservice activities for teachers and the extent to which these activities incorporated elements identified as effective through research. The focus was on the teachers who were recipients of inservice programs rather than the programs themselves. The interviews involved three school districts and two…

The Wisconsin Rural Reading Improvement Project implements a research-based telecommunications model of professional development and school improvement that rural school districts can use when redesigning K-12 reading curriculum. The project's approach to staff development assumes that change in school reading programs proceeds via extensive…

Little information exists to provide an accurate portrait of education in small rural schools, including staff development practices and needs in such schools. The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory conducted a review of literature and a survey of rural educators in the Southwest concerning staff development in their schools. The survey…

In 1989, a study was conducted of the evaluation practices for tenured faculty used by members of the Council of North Central Community Junior Colleges. Questionnaires were mailed to the vice-president for academic affairs/instructional dean and the head of the faculty union/association at the 305 institutions. Information was solicited…

A description of the Teacher, Industry and Environment (TIE) educational improvement project at Central Missouri State Univesity is provided in this report. TIE is designed for Missouri high school chemistry teachers, involving 73 of them in a weekend workshop, meeting with chemists, engineers, and educators to assist them in using resources…

The Pennsylvania Writing Project (PAWP), a regional outreach service of West Chester University, is described in this report. Among its basic assumptions are that: there is a nationwide need to improve the writing skills of school graduates; a pervasive problem is in the teaching of writing; colleges, universities and schools share a common…

The cross-disciplinary writing program at West Chester University (WCU), Pennsylvania is a long-range, three-part program designed to increase the amount, variety, and quality of writing done by undergraduates at WCU. It focuses on enhancement rather than remediation and provides for: writing emphasis courses each semester in traditional liberal…

School and college officials should make it clear that they believe that faculty self-esteem is the central variable in student learning. A plan for better learning through better treatment of teachers would include the following steps: (1) announce that the institution intends to create conditions that will enhance the professional self-esteem of…

A sabbatical project was undertaken to determine the major issues facing community colleges and to determine the status of Cecil Community College (Maryland) relative to some of the leading community colleges in the eastern United States. The project consisted of 1- to 2-day visits to 12 colleges in addition to a review of relevant literature.…

Designed to examine the academic computing programs of six liberal arts colleges that received funding from the Exxon Education Foundation for introducing or expanding academic computing between 1981 and 1983, this report first describes each college's program proposals. It then examines the progress of the colleges to date on their projects and…

The essays in this collection focus on various aspects of organization development (OD) and its application in educational institutions. First, Jim Hammons provides an overview of OD and its value to the community college. Then, Richard Woodman and William Muse describe techniques and methodologies that have been successful in improving work group…

Professional life planning means taking a self-directed, systematic approach to professional renewal. To engage in professional life planning (or self-directed professional development) is to take greater control of one's life. Four major actions comprise the essence of professional life planning; they are self-assessment of professional strengths…

This monograph, one of four in a series, contains materials on a particular aspect of literacy training. Developed from reports, papers, and case studies from the Regional Literacy Workshop (November 29-December 20, 1979) held in Udaipur, India, the monographs are suggested for use in training programs for literacy personnel as background…

The benefits of a study group to help faculty develop their competencies and expand their awareness of professional issues are described. Specifically, the Fargo Study Group, which included seven physicians interested in improving their instructional capabilities, is considered. The participants were responsible for teaching medical students in…

Members of the faculty of George Peabody College for Teachers at Vanderbilt University were surveyed to discover their information needs, habits, and attitudes and to learn how the process of information gathering might influence the pace and direction of library policy. More than 60% of the 133 faculty members surveyed responded, and replies from…