This evaluation study examined the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the statewide master plan for professional development (PD Master Plan) by investigating seven questions. With regard to effectiveness, (1) What was the level of implementation for the PD Master Plan, overall and by individual providers? (2) What were the impediments, if…

First implemented in 1987, Success for All (SFA) is one of the best-known and most thoroughly evaluated school reform models. It combines three basic elements: (1) Reading instruction that emphasizes phonics for beginning readers and comprehension for students at all levels, and that is characterized by a highly structured curriculum, an emphasis…

Society still carries the lingering remains of the autocratic cultural mores of reward and punishment. Staff in a group home setting for children must be aware of the complexity caused by the mingling of autocratic and democratic mores. This phenomenon causes discrepancy in parenting methods. It was surmised that training the staff (N=4) at one…

Check & Connect was created in a five year period from 1990 to 1995. The original manual, entitled "Keeping Kids in School: Using Check & Connect for Dropout Prevention" and written by David Evelo, Mary Sinclair, Christine Hurley, Sandra Christenson, and Martha Thurlow, was published in 1996 (ED398701). This newly revised Check…

This manual provides guidelines and resources for developing a year-long internship program conducted for staff development credit under the joint sponsorship of a college and a school system. The internship carries college credit and is designed for teachers who hold provisional teaching certificates. The first section presents a description of…

The general objective of the Competency - Based Curriculum (CBC) is to facilitate success in and enjoyment of learning by all students in the District of Columbia public schools. Individual rates of growth and differences in learning styles are provided for by this approach, which assures that skills requisite to successful adult functioning are…

Resulting from a 3 year project to develop and test competency based programs for camp personnel serving the physically handicapped, the document contains a manual for training the camp director. An introductory section gives an explanation of competency based instruction, a description of a module, and an overview of the camp director training…

This report presents the state, district, and local education staff development objectives in South Carolina, based on defined educational needs assessment. Suggestions include definition of the change process, discussion questions, staff development planning, empowerment, and new opportunities. Each level of the program is based on the concept of…

This general introduction to educational uses of microcomputers provides basic information to assist educators, parents, and concerned citizens in implementing microcomputer programs in the schools. An overview and brief history of educational computing is followed by suggestions which emphasize the need for planning, including pitfalls to avoid,…

This collection of essays on school climate seeks to provide a broad perspective on climate evaluation and to suggest activities that can improve working conditions in schools. Written by practicing educators who have exercised leadership in school climate improvement projects, the articles are divided into two sections: evaluation and…

Describes a program for formulating and implementing a staff development plan for technology based on experiences in the Lake Forest School District (Delaware). A comparison of pre- and posttest responses of teachers indicated improvement in skill levels and more positive attitudes toward the use of technology in education. The annual technology…

There is growing public recognition that the most important route to educational improvement is through enhancing the skills and status of adults who work within the education system. The purpose of this document is to provide a resource to school personnel who are attempting to improve their professional development efforts; hence both sections…

In the spring of 2004, the Arkansas Association of School Administrators and the Arkansas Association of Middle Level Education surveyed all public school middle school principals in the State of Arkansas as to the degree of implementation of middle school programming. This document reports the results of the survey. Conclusions are drawn from…

Capturing what has been learned over the past several years about the characteristics of effective Even Start Family Literacy programs, this book offers a guide for self-review by programs for the purpose of staff development and program improvement. The book also provides a focus for designing local program evaluations, serves as an outline of…

Discusses an in-service cross-training program designed for reference desk workers at the University of New Mexico Library. Describes the reference department and provides an overview of cross training. Highlights include training issues, a needs assessment questionnaire, program implementation, and evaluation. Four appendices provide sample…