Attempts to improve urban school systems have been many and varied. Still there has been little appreciable improvement in the quality and/or results of urban education. One primary reason why the "innovations" have failed is that most of them have been introduced into an ongoing social system with little or no attempt to assess their effects on…

Guidelines and forms used in staff and development efforts in Florida's public community colleges are provided. Following these are a tabulation and brief summary of the staff and program development activities at each of the community colleges. After the title and a brief description of each program, the following types of information are coded…

Examines the effects of a Comprehensive Instructional Management System (CIMS) on mathematics achievement at a Kingston (New York) elementary school during 1982-83. Describes program components (curriculum, assessment, instructional support, and staff development) and reports dramatic achievement gains for a high-risk student population. Includes…

Describes California's integrative approach to curricular planning and staff development. Under the state's new vision of excellence, all students experience a common core curriculum providing a solid academic background and promoting literacy in the various disciplines. Content and skill development go hand in hand. Includes four references. (MLH)

Borrowing from Madeline Hunter, school districts should define staff development as school- or district-wide efforts to improve the quality of teacher decision-making. This article outlines a six-step process (including needs assessment, brainstorming, strategic plannning, communicating plans, coaching for effectiveness, and periodic monitoring)…

The mastery learning model called "Essentials, Correctives, and Enrichment" was adopted in the fall of 1982 in one elementary school in Goochland County, Virginia. The experiment has been expanded to all county elementary schools and is currently being implemented in the junior and senior high schools. (MT)

PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) was applied to a federal project developing curriculum materials for the mentally retarded. A 34-step process lattice and PERT chart were useful for long-range planning, supervising the activity, providing accountability, and training new staff members. (Author/DB)

The Wisconsin case study school district is primarily urban and growing with 21,500 students on 40 campuses. This document contains case studies that are presented in the same format at the 2003 studies, but also have a focus on additional technologies beyond the base distributed computing model. These new technologies are voice/data integration,…

The Jefferson County (Colorado) School district prepares teachers to lead staff development programs in four major areas: (1) implementation of new curriculum; (2) personal and professional growth of colleagues; (3) as educational consultants; and (4) as organizational development consultants. Examples of leadership training activities in each…

New Hampshire's successful inservice plan has three main characteristics: local control, direct link to recertification, and lack of state funding. The New Hampshire Staff Development Plan is based on locally controlled inservice education. Teachers must participate in the local plan in order to be recertified. Staff development is financed by the…

To fulfill expectations for history curriculum reform, schools must clarify essential instructional goals and objectives, provide increased instructional time for history, reintroduce history in elementary grades, obtain improved textbooks and materials, and provide appropriate teacher preparation and staff development programs. Includes 11…

Describes the Technology Integration Enhancement (TIE) model that was developed to encourage technology integration at the elementary school level. The conceptual framework, staff development, and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model which comprise the TIE model are explained; and an evaluation of the TIE model is described. (Contains 14 references.)…

Describes an Illinois elementary principal's efforts to work with teachers to reshape her school's culture, curriculum, and organization into a model stressing collegiality and greater teacher involvement. A staff development calendar and action plan are presented to illustrate the patchwork quilting analogy. (four references) (MLH)

There is an urgent need to bring values into the college curriculum. College human resources personnel are uniquely qualified to train college faculty and administrators in ethics and to assist in development of curricula in each discipline incorporating ethics. (MSE)