This book presents 11 contributed papers which examine communication aspects of the department chair position in academia. It is noted that most academic department chairs are not trained in management skills, including communication strategies. After an introductory chapter by Christopher H. Spicer and Ann Q. Staton, the following papers are…

Twenty New Zealand lecturers supervising third (final) year student teachers were interviewed and completed questionnaires about their supervision visits. Results focus on the professional development needs of the supervising lecturers and the associate teachers, and the ways in which student teachers could have been better prepared for their…

The Department of Energy (DOE) has implemented a coherent recruitment, training, and professional development program to provide the technical talent necessary to run DOE's many complex operations. Designed to provide recently graduated, entry-level engineers and scientists the learning and experience requisite to effective job performance and…

Classroom teachers have the best possible vantage point for constructing locally appropriate surveys and tests; the fact is, however, that teachers tend to rely on nationally mass-produced and marketed test packages. The purpose of this paper is to present a procedure for developing and refining teacher-made surveys and tests, which would be valid…

This paper reviews the empirical research on the nature of the consultant-consultee relationship within school based consultation programs. It finds that the fundamental assumption of collaborative consultation, that both consultant and consultee are equal partners, is rarely the case. Specifically, it finds that the effective consultant controls…

The guiding of novices by experienced teachers is a principal component of the practicum in university-based teacher education programs, alternative routes to teacher certification, and programs of teacher induction and professional development. Novices learn by watching an expert teach and by being in turn observed and then receiving feedback on…

The two reports combined here provide introductory information on consultancy work at Great Britain's Open University Institution of Educational Technology. The approach at the institution was influenced by the theories and methods developed at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations and applied to group relations training. It is noted that the…

For 2 years, the division of education at Oglethorpe University (Georgia) has been building links among professors of teacher education, professors of liberal arts and sciences, and K-12 teachers (the triumvirate). The paper describes attempts to strengthen the multicultural dimension of the program. One very successful activity has been the…

Project CREST (Collaboration for Rural Education Special Teachers) is an Ohio teacher training program that addresses the teaching requirements of rural schools, permits student teaching experiences in rural school settings, and assists rural schools in developing staff development programs. The primary components of Project CREST are: (1) a…

A collaborative project of the Gwinnett County Schools and Georgia State University, federally funded, was designed as an inservice teacher development program to improve the instructional competence of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and mainstream teachers working with limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in elementary and secondary…

This paper examines the process by which an immediate access-to-technology environment influences the frequency, form, and substance of collegial interaction among classroom teachers. The longitudinal study, part of the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow project, covers a 5-year period and utilizes data from 32 elementary and secondary teachers in five…

Recent legislation on adult basic education (ABE) in the Netherlands has two important aims: to offer one uniform organizational financial structure and to improve educational quality. ABE institutes have concentrated on restructuring the organization and merging the precursors. The change in structure is supported by a change in organizational…

Authentic performance assessments--when used simultaneously with matching curricular practices--are a promising development for practitioners and students alike. A major benefit for practitioners appears to be the opportunity to redefine the curriculum and guide instruction. Benefits for students include the opportunity to engage in authentic work…

Since l984, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has been operating the California Mentor Teacher Program (MTP), initiated and supported by the state, to give special help to new or inexperienced teachers and encourage competent teachers to continue teaching. The study reported in these two volumes evaluated program effectiveness and…

Veteran teachers are often discontent because of the repetitive nature of teaching. New experiences, not repetition, are necessary for growth. Previous theories of adult development include deterministic models (such as those of Freud, trait and factor psychology, and behaviorism) and the developmental theory, which reveals no evidence of adult…