Staff development programs aiming to effect meaningful change are often short-lived and fail to promote teacher growth due to (1) lack of teacher control over program content; (2) the difficulty of influencing long-term changes in teachers' classroom behavior; and (3) the problem of documenting behavior change. This paper discusses a…

Skills required for developing staff evaluation models are closely linked to skills required for staff development. Leading a vital, growing, innovative, dynamic school system requires risk-taking, stretching, painful, exhilarating change. This change is accomplished through staff development. Real staff development is not confined to one or two…

Findings of a study that explored the role of staff developers in integrating staff development with organizational development are presented in this paper. Staff development (SD) is defined as professional development for individuals to improve student instruction; organizational development (OD) is defined as professional development for groups…

A broad range of literature on staff development, an important component of intensive English programs (IEPs) is reviewed, and an interactive staff development model is proposed. The model calls for three layers of staff as defined in TESOL's Statement of Core Standards--Administrative, Instructional, and Support--that may mutually enhance one…

Findings from an evaluation of Grand Rapids' staff development program, the Effective Instruction initiative, are presented in this paper. The program consisted of inservice teacher training and practice, coaching, and feedback. The level of classroom implementation of program concepts and skills was assessed through pre- and post-observations of…

Management tasks of department chairs and their perceived needs for staff development were studied in Australian Colleges of Advanced Education (CAE), U.S. state colleges, and a U.S. university. Data were obtained from 679 Australian and 98 U.S. department heads, using similar instruments developed by the Nebraska-Lincoln Task Force on Management…

This study was designed to determine the degree of use, level of client satisfaction of professional development and educational services, and to identify suggestions for improving services. Results from a mixed methodology approach indicated moderate to high levels of satisfaction in two program areas and moderate to high levels of…

A method for matching leadership mentors with beginning teachers is described in this paper, with emphasis on personality types and psychosocial characteristics. A review of literature on guide matching concludes that research is inconclusive and that matching is often based on availability. Five fundamental assumptions of the personnel matching…

Suggestions for improving teacher assessment of student performance are presented in this paper, with attention to ways in which superintendents can help. Suggested activities include pre- and post-observation conferences, a review of the teacher's plan book, and development of a professional growth plan. Because teachers as a group often lack…

As schools respond to higher expectations for student learning, school staffs are uniting around innovations that show the greatest promise for improving student learning. This paper examines one particular staff-development initiative, the Northwest Initiative for Teaching and Learning (NWIFTL), and the leadership actions that support and sustain…

The use of an assessment center in identifying specific staff development needs of aspiring and practicing school principals was studied. The relationship between assessment center performance and subsequent staff development activities was studied by participant level (elementary, middle and junior high, and high school) and by participant…

The purpose of this report was to examine the progress of 60 local school districts toward attaining the goals of Missouri's Career Ladder Program. The goals were identified as teacher retention, teacher responsibility, professional growth, teacher sharing, teacher collaboration, and student enhancement. The assessment documents of 58 ladder…

The Louisiana Educational Employees Professional Improvement Program (PIPS) is an individualized, incentive-based, statewide, inservice development program for school administrators and teachers. This presentation describes PIPS and analyzes it according to recommended models for the development and implementation of inservice programs for school…

The Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing Program is a national system to improve the professional competence of early childhood teaching staff. This report presents the findings of the 1999 national survey to assess the impact of credentialing on individuals' careers and professional development. A sample of 4,993 CDAs was…

A study of professional development intervention programs in which schools choose their own issues and action plans is presented in this report. "Intervention" refers to university introduction of new professional development models into the school. A 3-year program involving five schools in collaboration with university staff members and…