Creating meaningful learning opportunities for school leaders (principals, teachers, peer professionals, and community members) is a central goal of educational staff developers. Describes results of one prototype collaborative effort to design and use multimedia cases to invigorate school leaders' organizational thinking and learning. (Author/AEF)

A Wisconsin Girl Scout camp integrated The Healthy Kids Challenge into its program. The camp evaluated policies related to meals, snacks, physical activities, team building, and self-esteem. Staff inservice training resulted in healthier meals on the same budget and developed ownership of the program. Campers and families had opportunities to…

Argues that effective staff development for teachers should be tied to the daily classroom life and grounded in the concerns and questions of teachers. Discusses a theory of pedagogy that advocates teaching for understanding and a model of staff development based on practical knowledge and critical reflections. (SLD)

Discusses mentoring among elementary school teachers based on experiences with a curriculum project that, while involving three classes in all subject areas, focused on mathematics. Topics include teacher's feelings of isolation; student involvement; student journals; and traditional staff development activities and mentoring. (LRW)

Examines factors that contribute to the development of an organizational culture. Discusses the vision/mission; training; technology, equipment and supplies; and decor/appearance. Describes how one library created a staff-friendly environment through increasing communication between departments and cross-training to provide interdepartmental…

This article is designed to help public libraries provide support for people with mental retardation through the implementation of "Guidelines for Library Services for People with Mental Retardation", developed by the American Library Association. Topics include needs assessment; staff training; adaptive technology; resource formats,…

Discusses the need to train urban school counselors and psychologists to address the needs of culturally, linguistically, urban, and ethnically diverse (CLUE) students, proposing a major CLUE philosophy training program to be incorporated into the existing degree sequence. Notes major competencies needed for multicultural training and presents key…

Reviews comparative study of early childhood education policy and services in 12 countries produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Discusses seven major cross-national issues and key elements of successful early childhood education policies. Draws implications for the United States. (Contains 11 references.) (PKP)

If teachers are to sustain engagement with the challenges involved in promoting Learning How to Learn in classrooms they need to continue learning, and to be supported to do so by their schools. This article addresses the research question, "How do teachers value and practise professional learning?" Data are reported from the ESRC TLRP…

In Touch is a professional training program designed to develop staff skills and support structures so as to enable schools to manage alcohol and other drug (AOD) matters in a coordinated manner that maximizes beneficial outcomes for at-risk students, while at the same time maintaining school discipline and community relationships. This study is…

The multi-tasking of classroom or learning support assistants (LSAs) is a well-established phenomenon in English primary schools. As their roles have become better defined and specifically funded an element of role specialism has become essential. However, the management and direction of LSAs does not always appear to be clearly or effectively…

A literature review was carried out to establish what evidence exists about disabled children's participation in decision-making, both regarding their own lives and about the shape of service delivery. There is evidence that disabled children hold and can express views, given the right environment. However, participation of disabled children needs…

The authors describe an initiative to improve child care for the children of teen parents. Since 1999, the Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy has worked with seven childcare programs in four school districts to achieve this goal. The initiative included development of a quality improvement plan for each…

This study uses data from surveys of U.S. employees to determine whether any trends are apparent in the proportion who say they receive some form of training at work. Discussions of economic change in the U.S. and elsewhere have frequently asserted that work has become more intellectually demanding. This implies that training in workplaces should…

This article describes a bi-national project planned with Interreg (European) funding involving communities in Kent and Nord Pas-de-Calais. The focus is on "at risk" youth and training and supporting personnel, and action to address the needs of this client group. The differences in the two systems mean that the forms of the project are…