To provide an adequate base of knowledge to use in developing a state-mandated master plan for New Hampshire Supervisory Union No. 30, subjective and objective data were obtained from the citizens, teachers, and students of the union. The following opinion surveys and needs assessments were conducted: community, teacher, and student opinion…

Middle school principals must continue to provide leadership for staff development programs. As the instructional leader of the middle school, the principal faces the challenge of assisting both new and experienced teachers in developing teaching strategies that are consistent with the characteristics and needs of transescent students. At the same…

In recent years, an increasing number of educators have opted for non-traditional programs that afford students opportunities that traditional classroom experiences do not. Many educators are utilizing the wilderness environment as a means of providing students and staffs with an experientially-based developmental program. Activities such as rock…

Kilby Laboratory School is affiliated with the University of North Alabama, under the direction of the Dean of the School of Education. The school includes a preschool and K-6 program. This paper describes how teachers and staff developed the school's improvement plan, with a focus on the staff retreat held in 1994 to outline the mission…

This paper looks at effective schools research as it relates to classroom management in participating schools associated with Michigan's Upper Peninsula Effective Schools Professional Development Program--a staff development program based on effective schools research and designed to bring about school improvement. Effective schools research…

The New Zealand cluster of schools model using audiographics began in 1993. Canterbury Area Schools began to plan a cooperative project in that year to try to meet the various needs of their rural and urban communities. This paper describes the CASA(Tech) [Canterbury Area Schools Using Audiographics] Project in terms of administrative issues…

One of the current trends in California community colleges is an increased emphasis on learning. This study focuses on personnel at colleges that have embraced the goal of becoming learning-centered institutions and poses the question: How are faculty, staff, and administrators prepared to achieve this goal? The study included a review of the…

This staff development model offers discussions on sequential steps in planning and implementing an effective program of professional improvement. These steps are identified as:(1) philosophy of staff development; (2) purposes and methods of conducting a needs assessment; (3) process of determining goals identified in the needs assessment effort;…

The need for a multidimensional approach to teacher education is discussed in light of the educational trends of the last decade, and the rationale behind Murray State University's (Kentucky) inservice teacher education program is explained. A short history of the university's involvement with inservice teacher education is given, and an outline…

Established in 1991, the Northern and Eastern Maine Tech Prep/School-to-Work Consortium unites 28 high schools, 7 regional technology centers, 2 technical colleges, and the University of Maine system. The consortium represents educators and employers in Maine's three most northerly counties and has facilitated the change from a traditional…

Physical education teachers needed to reach a consensus among themselves as to the direction and scope of elementary school physical education, and they needed to work with other groups to produce a document that could be used as a resource to educate others about the importance of elementary school physical education. "Essentials of a Quality…

Middle level schools have special needs because of the characteristics of the age group served. Staff development is crucial for middle schools. Its purposes and major planning components are presented in this paper. Most mid-level educators were prepared for elementary or high school teaching and have a limited knowledge of early adolescent…

Rigid tracking systems structure inequality and affect students' opportunity to learn. Moreover, students gain from participating in rigorous advanced courses. This case study identified the practices and processes involved in creating a school culture of detracking wherein more students participate in high school advanced courses and experience…

Employee training and development (T&D) in business and industry, as a critical function of human resource development, must reflect a whole-health, proactive orientation in helping today's organizations survive in an increasingly competitive market. A proactive T&D orientation is based on humanistic views of work and education and is reflected in…

West Virginia's school improvement plan, emphasizing learning outcomes, mandates excellent education for all students. Following an executive summary, this paper discusses, first, the conflict between excellence and equity in educational reform, and West Virginia's intent to resolve that conflict; second, the legal foundations of the master plan,…