A description is given of a client-based approach to staff development that emphasizes ongoing professional growth and learning for teachers. The underlying assumptions of the program are that teachers possess important clinical expertise, and that professional learning is an adaptive, heuristic process that is long-term and nonlinear. The program…

The participatory planning process model developed by Peirce Junior College is described in this paper. First, the rationale for shifting from a traditional authoritarian style of institutional leadership to a participatory style which encourages a broader concern for the institution and lessens morale problems is offered. The development of a new…

This document reports the findings of the National Study of Local Operations under Chapter 2 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981, the federal education block grant, regarding the involvement of parents and other citizens in the making of local district decisions concerning the use of the block grant funds. Data for the study…

Participatory curriculum evaluation can be a powerful force for curriculum improvement in local school districts. The evaluation process contains nine steps: (1) the curriculum area needing evaluation is identified; (2) the local board of education organizes an evaluation committee reflecting school communities or neighborhoods, organizational…

This paper identifies a number of factors that staff developers should consider in planning an effective program. A staff development program is considered to be effective if teachers adapt the material or content learned into their classrooms and retain the implementation over time, if teachers and administrators express satisfaction with the…

The study examined principal input in decisions affecting administrative compensation through the framework of a state-mandated meet-and-discuss model. The model seeks to strengthen management team relationships while guaranteeing administrators a minimal level of participation. The following are discussed: (1) conceptual and empirical…

To obtain more information about the characteristics, work patterns, and career paths of women in middle management roles, this study collected structured interview data from 45 managerial women in business and education. During summer 1987, each student in the Women and Careers class at Texas Woman's University interviewed two female managers,…

Citizen involvement in the public decision-making process can be facilitated if appropriate forms and functions of involvement are used. The issue cycle, which can help public officials to ensure that citizens have constructive and timely input into the decision-making process, involves awareness of some condition in the community; community…

This paper urges states to continue to press for excellence in education by making teachers partners in school improvement. It explains what research indicates are the next steps that policymakers can take to affect student achievement. It notes that policymakers must acknowledge the school as the locus of change and teachers as the bridge between…

A description is given of the Regional Partnership Program, a field-responsive, center-specific model established at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) designed to oversee clinical field experiences for student teachers. This cooperative partnership calls for a resident tenure track professor to be placed in a geographic area away from the main…

Current reform efforts, focusing on teacher empowerment, are based on the belief that lasting school improvement will occur when teachers become more involved in professional decision-making at the school site. Presented in this document are four conceptually distinct models of teacher involvement in schoolwide decision-making, identified on the…

This pamphlet provides an overview of current research on home-school collaboration and strategies that schools can use to develop partnerships with their students' parents or guardians. An introduction lists the benefits of increasing parent involvement (higher grades and test scores, long-term academic achievement, positive attitudes and…

This paper examines the role of Colorado's community-based child protection teams in the investigation and treatment of child abuse and neglect. The first section contains data from a survey of all Colorado counties as reported by team coordinators and members. It includes information on team composition, structure and operation, and training. The…

The practicum was designed to improve the multidisciplinary team (MDT) process for identifying seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) students within five elementary schools, with the primary goal of implementing a decision facilitation model in order to provide a more systematic approach to SED identification. Initially, inservice training was…

The University of Nevada at Las Vegas College of Education has responded to numerous calls for educational reform with the establishment of the Committee to Review Teacher Education (CRTE). CRTE is composed of school district administrators, elementary and secondary school principals and master teachers, a State Department of Education…