Now more than ever school librarians need to be advocates. COVID brought to light so many things that are wrong with the education system around the country. According to the author, they learned that, although they talk about equity and access for their students, they are not even close to equity and access being a reality for all. As the…

The members of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) strongly advocate that all professionals must come prepared and continue to develop through ongoing professional learning opportunities the skills necessary to promote the meaningful and appropriate participation of children and youth with exceptionalities in schools and community-based…

Richard DuFour, a leading advocate for creating professional learning communities in schools, shares his insights on why teaching has become an "embattled profession" and the steps teachers and school leaders can take to enhance teachers' practice and their working lives. DuFour explains how recent reforms aimed at educators themselves…

Teachers are limited in their power to control professional development. Even with good promotional efforts, teacher development often is unconnected to broader questions about education in a democratic society. The paper argues for genuine efforts to promote teacher development that are connected to promotion of equity and social justice. (SM)

"Transformational Professional Learning" is a periodically published e-newsletter designed to influence what educational leaders think, say, and do to improve teaching and learning by promoting deep understanding of important issues, the transformation of beliefs and assumptions, and a stream of powerful goal-focused actions. There are two…

Faculty development programs ignore the dimensions of personal development that are crucial to effectiveness. The context in which faculty careers evolve are described and the opportunities that exist for "enlightened" colleges and universities to act responsibly and productively in promoting faculty development are outlined. (MLW)

The following topics are addressed in this newsletter issue: collective bargaining and the quality of work life, faculty elections at California State University, speeches presented at the tenth annual conference of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions (NCSCBHEP), April 1982; and…

Guidelines obtained from interviews with over 30 companies or business consultants are suitable for school administrators. Successful managers are increasingly interested in quality of work life, motivation, staff development, and public relations. (MLF)

At a time when resources for higher education are scarce and overtaxed, senior faculty members constitute a valuable resource. Interaction with like-minded peers, periodic changes in the nature of the work or the work setting, and administrative and organizational intervention are important strategies for helping senior faculty members stay…

Two related institutional activities that college administrators should address are faculty productivity and student advising. Efforts to increase institutional productivity should incorporate personal and organizational development and should reflect sensitivity to the organizational climate. The goal for institutional managers is to structure a…

Although part-time faculty are found in all of higher education, they are especially prevalent in two-year colleges, with a 1993 study finding that 65% of two-year college faculty were employed part-time. Since the 1980's, considerable research has been conducted on issues related to the use of part-time faculty in community colleges, such as…

Six major areas of part-time college faculty employment practices are discussed that illustrate how current practice can be detrimental to part-time faculty performance. Attention is directed to appointment, support services, communication with peers, participation in governance, compensation, and job security. The following areas that require…

At Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, sexual harassment policy includes comprehensive education for administrators, faculty, and other staff, and communication of policy through school publications. As a result, more communication has occurred, harassment behaviors are less severe, complaints are handled earlier and at a lower…

Four prerequisites for college and university departmental change and renewal have been suggested: dedication to teamwork; collective dialog and inquiry about effective teaching; commitment to quality control and rewarding collective goals; and leadership of a purposeful chair. These are discussed in relation to conditions mitigating against…

Ways in which colleges can meet the needs of part-time faculty are suggested, based upon the experiences of community colleges. Recommendations concern basic needs, orientation, and staff development and evaluation. Advice for institutions includes: establish a salary scale for part-time faculty equal to that for full-time faculty teaching…