Staff development in the public schools has become a serious concern only since the 1970s. Staff development is not inservice education, although it includes inservice teacher education. Rather, staff development should be a process by both administrators and teachers who set goals to improve the school or school system and meet the needs of…

As part of a study initiated by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide information on which to base personnel policy for the state's schools, this report presents staff recommendations for future state policy governing all certified educational personnel. Recommendations cover the essential areas of personnel programs, including (1)…

PRISM, the Pittsburgh Research-Based Instructional Supervisory Model, was initiated when the superintendent convened an Instructional Leadership Committee (ILC) to develop a plan for improving instruction and instructional leadership within the district. The Pittsburgh Public Schools' Learning Research Development Center then conducted a…

Science programs provided for primary school have not always been successful. A major reason suggested is that some programs place demands on teachers which many teachers find difficult to meet and which give rise to concerns which restrict their development as teachers of science. Based on the work of the the Learning in Science Project…

The conference upon which these proceedings are based was held to draw together scholars, public officials, and representatives of private agencies in order to explore priority issues in research and training for professionals who work with new immigrants and refugees. Following a preface, which outlines the themes addressed by conference…

A 1-day orientation workshop for business clients from other cultures is described. Factors in program design that relate to the specific cultural group addressed are discussed, and include such considerations as culture-specific versus culture-general content, professional focus, and the learning style to which the participants are accustomed.…

This practicum was designed to enable teachers in an elementary school to gain the skills required to utilize technological equipment and materials in their classrooms. The primary objective was that teachers would become proficient in the use of technology in their teaching. A second goal was that teachers would use technology to vitalize…

This briefing paper addresses two questions: What are current trends in higher level distance education? and What recommendations for action have emerged from recent distance education meetings and from the literature? To identify trends, five broad areas of evolution within the field of distance education were identified: institutions;…

In Arkansas, in reaction to complaints about traditional methods of selection for promotion, the civil service commission has chosen to base promotions in the police department solely on scores on locally-developed objective tests. Items developed and loaded into a computerized test bank were selected from six areas of responsibility: (1) criminal…

This paper discusses the New Teacher Retention Project, a collaborative partnership between San Diego State University and the San Diego Unified School District, California. The purposes of this project are to develop a practical model of support and assistance to new teachers, particularly those working with students from culturally diverse…

New information technologies have begun to help librarians transfer their routine procedures and tasks to nonprofessional staff and library users, which allows them to begin to be relieved from the boredom of glorified clerical work. Developments in information technology also allow librarians to see their work from new and different perspectives.…

This study explores the development of a beginning teacher's practical knowledge as expressed in her reflections on her actions during her first year of teaching. The view of practical knowledge constructed by Elbaz (1983) and extended by Clandinin (1986) forms the conceptual basis of the work, allied with the concept of reflection-in-action…

This kit and flyer produced by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center of the Association of Research Libraries provides documents submitted by 14 universities that are used in the performance evaluation of professional library staff. Commentary based on a thorough review of documents submitted by 60 libraries includes an overview of the…

The problem beginning secondary school teachers face in bridging the knowledge gap between the subject discipline studied in college and the content that must be taught to high school students is analyzed in this study. To demonstrate this problem and follow the progressive steps taken to partially solve it, case studies are presented of two…

Many student personnel professionals find that declining enrollments are affecting the supply and demand for their services. To assess current career needs and programs and to determine whether student personnel staff perceived a need for personal career enrichment, student personnel workers (N=183) in three state universities were surveyed.…