This article describes the stages of a formative evaluation process for a professional development project. It was designed to support teachers in urban schools as they implement student-centered practices. The four stages of the evaluation that can serve as a road map for this type of collaboration are: (1) the program vision and anticipated…

During 1997-98, a research team from the University of Leeds investigated the effectiveness of teacher resource centers (TRCs) as a strategy for teacher development in developing nations. The study included a literature review and fieldwork in four countries (India, Kenya, Nepal, and Zambia). The study examined the extent to which TRCs helped…

Success for All, a comprehensive schoolwide reform program for elementary schools serving many children placed at risk of school failure, was first piloted in one Baltimore elementary school in the 1987-88 school year. Success for All requires substantial change in many aspects of curriculum and instruction and extensive professional development…

According to this model for effective professional growth programs for teachers, teachers and their supervisors must independently identify the teachers' growth needs, must agree on the needs, and must mutually develop a program that is appropriate, demands supervisor responsiveness, and is well-received by the teacher. (PGD)

A study documented the practices of 14 peer-nominated medical educators who conduct faculty development programs in ambulatory care settings. Results indicate the programs were delivered almost exclusively in workshop format, with great similarities in topics and strategies. Evaluation was generally limited to satisfaction ratings. Makes…

This study examined the effectiveness of an inservice elementary health education training. Pretesting and posttesting of teachers who did and did not participate indicated that intervention participants scored significantly higher on efficacy and outcome expectations subscales, taught more hours of health, and put more effort into specific health…

An evaluation of the University of Colorado's posttenure faculty peer review process found that, although the process was successful in identifying faculty whose efforts might be reinvigorated through faculty development, the resources to effect change had seldom been forthcoming. The most useful aspect of the review was the most neglected. (MSE)

A study of the Lilly Endowment's Teaching Fellows Program, which provides professional growth experiences for junior faculty of colleges and universities, found that the program broadly socializes faculty to their roles and specifically enhances teaching abilities. Implications for institutional leaders and faculty developers are noted.…

As a school reform effort, the New York City Public Broadcasting Station Thirteen/WNET, Texaco Inc., and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's National Teacher Training Institute for Math, Science and Technology has completed five years of operation, during which thousands of teachers received training at sites across the country. Follow-up…

Presents the results of a study of community college faculty development activities. Reports that the colleges examined relied on traditional approaches to faculty development and made minimal efforts at evaluation. Urges colleges to develop more focused faculty development programs that are proven to improve learning and teaching. (Contains 35…

Over recent years increasing attention has been given to professional development for aspiring heads in the UK and elsewhere. In Scotland, the Scottish Qualification for Headship (SQH) was devised as a means of preparing for headship. This paper draws from the national evaluation of the SQH in order to assess the extent to which this programme…

Professional development in education has recently undergone rapid change. A few years ago, most teachers did not have a voice in the types of sessions they attended or the opportunity to connect what they learned to their classrooms. Most sessions were at an awareness level only with no follow-up. All that has changed. The move toward greater…

Collaboration for some English teachers has proved to be the key to effective professional development. Teachers working together on evaluating the effectiveness of a writing workshop in the high school classroom have helped them gain knowledge about their beliefs and practices.

This paper provides the outcomes of Project IMPROVE, a pilot study that examined the effectiveness of a workshop designed to train educators in foundational strategies and concepts for effective social skill training. Twenty-two educators participated in a one-day work-shop focusing on teaching social skills and appropriate replacement behaviors…

A district-level change in staff development helped renew teachers' interest in professional learning--and improve student learning. The Rockwood School District in Eureka, Mo., found a districtwide plan, rather than personal goals, set the tone for change, but involved teachers in planning.