University-based teacher-education programmes in the USA confront mounting pressure to demonstrate that graduates will have a significant and positive impact on student achievement. Such pressure has forced teacher educators to wrestle with the question of what constitutes compelling evidence that teacher candidates will indeed have such an…

Evidence suggests that school focused staff development programs are more likely to bring about real school improvement because the individual school is the primary unit of change. These guidelines for the development and implementation of school-focused delivery of staff development programs were prepared for Georgia school systems. The term…

Outcomes and applications of Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) study groups composed of teachers and administrators to investigate a single educational issue and develop a product of use to practitioners are described in this report. Contents include an introduction of the study group as a professional development tool, a discussion of the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which a sophisticated computer assisted instruction (CAI) system could be implemented on the type of microcomputer system currently found in the schools. A method was devised for comparing CAI languages and was used to rank five common CAI languages. The highest ranked language, NATAL,…

The personal developmental levels of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds were studied; and the hypothesis that students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds would be less mature than other students in the developmental levels of autonomy, purpose, and interpersonal relationships was assessed. The effects of participation in…

This document presents minimum standards for programs serving gifted and talented students. The first chapter discusses program design standards, with a focus on building a flexible system of program options throughout general and special education that can be matched with the needs, strengths, and interests of gifted and talented students. The…

Mountain Empire Community College (MECC), Southwest Virginia Community College (SVCC), Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC), and Clinch Valley College (CVC), a four-year institution, participated in a cooperative professional development program to enrich their support staff and explore support staff dynamics. The colleges used the…

This document is a transcript of a panel discussion on the development and early stages of implementation of an accountability system for vocational education professional personnel development in Pennsylvania. Representatives of the Bureau of Vocational and Adult Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education, and three of the four participating…

This handbook gives educators and administrators the tools, information, and resources to design and implement a physical education program. Chapter one contains an assessment guide that can be used to assess and revise the physical education program in elementary and secondary schools. The second chapter contains information that physical…

A management plan is outlined for the development of an inservice teacher education program. Suggested roles and responsibilities of key personnel are discussed. Critical decisions and events in the planning process are pointed out, and a management blueprint is included. This revision of an earlier guide also contains a monograph on the generic…

This document describes an organizational structure and processes for planning, coordinating and implementing staff development activities. It is meant as a guide or tool for individuals and agencies involved in professional development of school staffs. It is divided into six major sections: (1) definition of terms used in the document; (2)…

A battery of cognitive, personal, and demographic tests were given to 216 children from Title I (of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) schools, with and without previous school experience, and to 31 children from non-Title I schools. The effects of prekindergarten experience upon subsequent school experience were evaluated. The Title-I…

This resource guide suggests ideas for implementing needs assessment, evaluation, monitoring, and planning for staff development programs. It grew out of experiences of 148 Georgia school systems that in 1974 initiated staff development programs. It maintains that leaders of staff development programs ought to be able to conduct a learner needs…

This study assesses: (1) immediate and long term academic and personal adjustment effects of the Bereiter-Engelmann preschool program and of the traditional enrichment preschool program, as well as the effects of no preschool experience; (2) effects of the above programs on children at the kindergarten level; (3) interactive effects of each type…

The Southeastern Day Care Project is an ongoing preschool demonstration project in eight southeastern States. The SDCP has developed and is using a series of rating forms to assess the development of each child in the program in cognitive, social, motor, and self-help skills. Approximately 256 children in SDCP centers have been rated on the forms.…