For therapy to have integrity, the therapist needs a theoretical foundation but not to become rigidly defined by that orientation. The insights of chaos theory and postmodernism can be applied to resolve the apparent conflict between theory and practice and to recognize the finite nature of all theories. (LKS)

Many school districts are acknowledging staff development's dismal record. Inservice programs traditionally operate on a deficit training model, promote awareness without classroom strategies, and are offered by traveling "experts." Teachers need time and opportunity to direct their own professional development program and "mess…

Suggests that professional training does not always adequately prepare women to enter and manage university careers. Concludes that women often encounter barriers because they may not know "how to play the game." Proposes two models that provide powerful tools women can use to evaluate their work settings, form realistic expectations, and…

Explores school leadership in Britain's newly privatized and marketized professional-development environment. Considers a model to identify key elements in a "professional development culture." Examines the development coordinator's role as a "delegated leader." Suggests a model for exploring the relationship between continuing…

The theoretical and empirical underpinnings of teacher efficacy as indicated in the research literature are examined to bring coherence to the construct and its measurement. A model of teacher efficacy is introduced that reconciles two competing conceptual strands found in the literature. Strategies are also suggested for improving the efficacy of…

The goal of the Synthesized Professional Supervision Model is the creation of academically healthy schools. This model for supervision of the whole school community includes supervisor reflection on professional interaction, supervisee professional development, paradigms influencing practice, and phases of professional supervision. (SK)

This article discusses what employers need to be aware of in relation to becoming sought after by Gen Xer's, individuals born from 1964-1981. Describes the components of the Total Rewards Model: work environment; learning and development; pay; and benefits. Suggests that in order to become a Gen Xer's employer of choice companies should eliminate…

Peter Senge's (1990) theory of organizational change includes teams that perceive the whole of the organization; grow professionally; navigate short- and long-term organizational experiences through exposed mental models; share a vision; and hear each voice in an ongoing communal learning process. The Margaret Sue Copenhaver Institute for Teaching…

The Teaching/Learning Centers (TLC) model is based on the assumption that the best foundation for meaningful, sustained, and transformative professional development is laid when teachers assess the particular needs for their school site, plan and implement professional development background. It is concluded that the TLC model of professional…

Three studies using the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition were conducted over a period of 21 years. Nurses with a range of experience and reported skillfulness were interviewed. Each study used nurses' narrative accounts of actual clinical situations. A subsample of participants were observed and interviewed at work. These studies extend the…

Research indicates that ongoing, high-quality staff development is essential to achieving significant standards-based reform. Currently, the majority of teachers do not regularly participate in staff development practices in the United States. Staff development decisions have traditionally been made by school administrators to meet the needs of…

This chapter is part narrative and part commentary. In the first part of the chapter, the authors tell the story of their experiences over the past decade in supporting the work of classroom teachers and the systemwide monitoring of student achievement. In the second part of the chapter they reflect on the connections between the pieces of this…

This study primarily aimed to suggest a theoretically and empirically valid definition for the construct of teachers' competence in environmental education. The study was designed and developed in two phases. We first attempted to formulate a hypothetical model of teachers' competence in environmental education, based on a specification of the…

This article describes the responses to an on-line survey that was sent to 21 universities and colleges funded during 1999-2002 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) to develop and implement faculty and administrator professional development activities. The projects were asked to respond to a series of…

The John A. Hartford Foundation, in collaboration with the Gerontological Society of America, has developed new models to create geriatric faculty capacity within social work. The Faculty Scholars Program is building faculty leadership in academic geriatric social work through a strategic approach that includes long-distance national and…