This workbook presents a process by which teachers and administrators can take responsibility for their own professional development and plan for a particular project in a systematic and thoughtful way. Users will first identify an "area of focus" (job-related project, responsibility, professional interest, or district goal) and then formulate a…

A strategy, based on organizational change literature, for establishing a college program for learning-disabled students includes such crucial steps as assessing the change effort (nature of the change, environmental factors, initiators of change), establishing a campaign plan (program and decision centers), and developing deployment tactics…

Describes a project to identify the causes of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in a district's schools in an attempt to improve teacher attendance. (MD)

Provides a general strategy for planning, developing, and teaching applied courses, suggesting that a variety of sociology courses can be designed around an applied focus. Describes the various stages of creating the applied course, illustrating exemplary actions to be taken. (KO)

In 1978, the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, through its Head Start program, designed and implemented the Basic Educational Skills (BES) project to foster Head Start children's readiness for school and their subsequent achievement in elementary school. The purpose of this document is to disseminate elementary-level BES materials.…

Intended for early childhood teachers and supervisors, this booklet describes and illustrates a comprehensive recordkeeping system that is based on written observations. The full recordkeeping system includes daily classroom observational notes, monthly cumulative summaries, checklists, monthly plans, and bi-yearly progress reports. Daily notes…

Outlines research on how expert teachers function in the classroom. Shows the structure of an expert teacher's lessons and how she handles content in the teaching of mathematics. The studies suggest that content knowledge is critical and that expert teachers manage time and academic engagement equally well. (MD)

Outlines the components of direct instruction. Research demonstrates that the types of questions asked, the detailed step-by-step breakdowns, and the extensive practice with examples (illustrated in the three studies discussed) significantly benefit students' comprehension. Includes references and five figures. (MD)

To help avoid past mistakes in attempts at curriculum and instructional improvement, this article offers five guidelines for secondary school curriculum change and innovation. (DCS)

The battle for communication skills has already been won; the task ahead is to get teachers in the trenches to teach them, either in separate units or in their subject areas. Nine references are listed, and a list of resources for implementing instruction in speaking and listening is provided. (Author/DCS)

Provides two teacher evaluation models for principals. Emphasizes teacher evaluation based on teacher's abilities rather than student achievement. (MD)

This handbook is designed for use in conjunction with staff training seminars designed to provide teachers and administrators with a framework and procedures for designing and implementing effective applications of technologies in the curriculum. The intended outcome of the seminars is the development of comprehensive programs including the…

To explore the principal's role as instructional leader in school improvement strategies, this research brief focuses on characteristics of effective schools, a profile of effective principals, and a discussion with Dr. Steven Bossert, Associate Laboratory Director for Research and Development at Far West Laboratory in San Francisco, California,…

Designed to assist educators in planning for technological changes in secondary schools, this report presents the findings of a survey conducted in May 1989 to obtain information on the use of microcomputers in Oregon's classrooms. A 46-item questionnaire was mailed to the principals, computer coordinators, and heads of academic departments at 21…

To be effective instructional leaders, principals and assistant principals need to know what's new in secondary school curricula. Education associations representing 14 subject areas outline the current focus, likely trends through 1990, and new practices in their respective disciplines. (MLH)