The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) considers high-quality personnel preparation to be essential to positive outcomes for young children birth through age 8 who are at risk for or with developmental delays/disabilities and their families. Recognizing the centrality of quality personnel preparation,…

There are concerns about the quantity and quality of personnel in early childhood intervention (ECI) as the numbers of infants and young children with delays and disabilities grow in number, needs, and diversity. The Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) was funded to provide technical assistance (TA) to state systems of ECI and institutions of…

It's true that adults learn differently than children. They have real-life experiences, strong preferences, time constraints, competing priorities, and varied objectives. But, they also share some similarities. Training the adults who work directly with children is the best way to make a positive impact on the children. In this article, the…

Never before has the need been so great for classroom teachers to become agents of change and position themselves as problem solvers at the school building level. Teachers are uniquely positioned to assume leadership roles on a variety of tasks that could transform schools from more traditional workplaces into professional learning communities.…

The Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) has made a strong commitment to professional development for its paid staff and ongoing training for its volunteers. During its 25-year history, GPLC has faced three challenges as it implemented its current staff development system. In this article, the author discusses these three challenges: (1)…

Describes a model of implementing multicultural education that uses a four-step process of awareness, knowledge, skills development, and action. Professional education is a key component of this program, which was evaluated in 1995 and 1996. Teacher responses to questionnaires showed the positive impacts of the approach. (SLD)

Integration of staff development and career education concepts is examined from the following viewpoints: training (through graduate courses, conferences, or staff development programs); trainers (in-house or visiting experts); timing (long-term, short-term); location; and who should be involved. (CT)

Hunter's "seven-step lesson plan" has been misinterpreted and misunderstood. The plan was developed to be used flexibly, through misinterpretation it has been used too rigidly. The seven steps would be better understood if conceived as "generic" instructional processes to be "considered" in every teaching situation.…

Focuses on the purpose of the Canadian School Library Association and on its activities in five areas: school library standards, qualifications of teacher-librarians and library staff, professional development of teacher-librarians, information exchange among teacher librarians and other educators, and lobbying. (SB)

Describes a staff development project using a coaching model in which teachers team teach in the classroomn. In this model the teacher and the coach (a teaching peer) plan, execute, and evaluate performance in the class side by side. (MD)

Albuquerque schools developed an innovative program called "Support for Instructional Development" that includes a basic format of seminars, journals, and team teaching. Includes discussion of four principles the school system learned about the teacher's role in educational development. (MD)

An effective teacher must continue to learn, problem-solve, and respond to the evolving needs of his or her students. Ideally a culture of inquiry, reflection, and self-evaluation should develop. Voluntary inquiry-based reflection identifies problems and issues within a school and allows teachers and administrators to develop professional study…

Discusses the development of information technology (IT) in teachers' professional work and its development within organizations based on examples in the United Kingdom. Highlights include Project INTENT, to improve IT in teacher education; dimensions of professional development; personalized strategies for staff development; individual and group…

Presents Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs (physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, self-actualization) as a model for developing technology training and support for teachers, identifies basic technology-related needs that must be met before higher levels of technology integration can be achieved, and offers seven implications to help…

Describes how New Mexico's Section 310 personnel reviewed the literature on self-directed learning and devised strategies for integrating self-directed learning into staff development training. Their plan for accomplishing this is described. (Author/CT)