Based on her own experience, a trainer of assessors for the NASSP Assessment Center Project describes the essential skills and practices needed for successful assessor training. She emphasizes the importance of collegiality and mutual respect between trainers and trainees. (TE)

The Michigan Institute for Educational Management's Assessment Center Program is based on evaluation of a candidate's strengths and weaknesses in 12 skill areas. The author, a high school principal, describes personal insights derived from this 12-fold evaluation process. (TE)

"Springfield," a simulation-based development program for those who have completed the NASSP assessment center, works well for 10 reasons: motivation, talent, self-assessment, feedback, specific goals, realistic simulation, behavior modeling, developmental mentors, on-the-job development, and a follow-up seminar. (TE)

Oregon was selected as one of four pilot states to field test the Springfield Simulation. Logistical problems are described, followed by a procedural account of the process: personnel, initial briefing, research packets, the three-day simulation, feedback from mentors, and a follow-up at the end of three months. (TE)

Describes initiatives being taken in 27 states in support of recommendations made by the National Commission on Excellence and the Task Force on Education for Economic Growth. Focuses particularly on teacher rewards, career ladders, and cooperation between schools and business. (KH)

Discusses the professional portfolio as (1) evidence of knowledge and skills gained through prior learning and experience; (2) a placement tool for faculty, and (3) useful in a student's program planning. Describes the concept and development of the portfolio's narrative and documentation sections. Also rates the portfolio's advantages and…

The North Central Regional Advisory Committee (NC RAC) final report provides our assessment of the technical assistance needs of educators in our region. The technical assistance is to be provided by comprehensive centers and directed toward implementing the programs of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and achieving its goals through the use of…

What if you already had thirty-years' experience on your first day as a principal? What if, after 20 years as a principal, you felt as fresh and energized as you did on your first day? Principals need encouragement and revitalization for their school and their careers. Full of simple rules and meaningful insights, this compilation of suggestions…

The emergence of the discourse around learning and teaching is one of the more remarkable phenomena of the last decade in higher education. Increasingly, universities are being required to pay greater attention to improving teaching and enhancing student learning. This book will help universities and colleges achieve these goals through an…

Prospective secondary mathematics teachers continue to lack images of "reformed" teaching. This investigation studied prospective teachers' development of reform-oriented teaching through Micro-teaching Lesson Study [MLS], an experience based on Japanese lesson study (Stigler and Heibert, 1999). A qualitative analysis of various data sources…

The inclusion of online learning technologies into the higher education (HE) curriculum is frequently associated with the design and development of new models of learning. One could argue that e-learning even demands a reconfiguration of traditional methods of learning and teaching. However, this transformation in pedagogic methodology does not…

The primary objective of the action research chronicled (in English and Chinese) in this book was to shift the teaching method used by preschool teachers in Hong Kong from a teacher-directed mode by training them to use the Project Approach. The secondary objective was to measure children's achievement while using the Project Approach, focusing on…

This book is a guide to the standards for programs designed for gifted and talented students developed by the National Association for Gifted Students in 1998. The guide is intended to provide practical help to practitioners by including annotations that supply a rationale and further explanations for each standard. A standard statement,…

The School Improvement Specialist Project prepared seven modules. School improvement specialists, as defined by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, are change agents who work with schools to help them improve in the following areas so as to increase student achievement. These modules are intended to provide training materials for…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded project that was designed to develop, validate, and disseminate a training program for teachers of students with autism. The strategies taught to teachers were those that have been accepted as best practice in autism literature. Since 1996 more than 500 teachers,…