The Texas Commission for the Blind's (TCB's) braille literacy initiative is an agency-based program designed to enhance the braille skills of teaching staff. In addition, TCB has established braille-production stations in 30 of its district offices and offers technical assistance to regional rehabilitation personnel. (Author)

Flexibility of provision and support for part-time staff and students are being emphasized in British further education colleges. Legislated funding changes, guidance, and skill diagnosis are supporting students, and staff development, handbooks, newsletters, and induction programs assist part-time staff. (SK)

Argues that, for problem-based learning (PBL) to succeed, a sound program of staff development is required and describes the introduction of PBL into Nursing and Midwifery curricula at the University of Dundee (Scotland) including key components and evaluatory evidence to support its efficacy. (DB)

Study determined that correctional treatment staff members who reported having quality personal relationships in the work environment experienced fewer stressors at work. Suggests that additional studies are needed to determine whether professional orientation plays a role in job stress; if organizational climate factors have a role in mediating…

The TEACH Early Childhood Wisconsin is an initiative to address the crisis in recruitment, compensation, and retention of high-quality early childhood teachers and providers. The plan involves advanced training for infant/toddler caregivers, infant/toddler credential, administrator credential, and scholarships for higher education. Efforts are…

Outlines findings from study funded by the National College for School Leadership that explored effective leadership in a group of secondary schools in challenging circumstances. Highlights the key characteristics and features of leadership approaches adopted, and argues that the heads in the study operated a shared or distributed model of…

A geographically stratified sample of 263 chief student affairs administrators responded to questions related to their division's professional staff recruiting and selection processes, professional development and activities, and performance appraisal procedures. This produced a descriptive overview of national staffing practice sin student…

Describes Canadian school principals' efforts to introduce anti-racist initiatives into their buildings. Recommends that school leaders acquire adequate conceptual and theoretical knowledge to tackle race equity and social justice within schools. (Contains 48 references.) (MLF)

Suggests strategies for rethinking the early childhood program environment. Recommends reflecting program values throughout the environment, understanding how different elements influence behavior, and considering the role of schedules, routines, and rituals. Strategies include reinventing assessment tools, identifying the feelings elicited by…

Evaluation of a staff training program on aggression management and physical intervention in a Scottish special education school found staff reported increased confidence and use of verbal de-escalation techniques as a result of the training. Physical interventions used mainly low-level techniques. However, stress levels and psychological coping…

A good question is one of the most important tools in a staff developer's repertoire. Questions that cause thinking can produce more learning than telling. This paper describes how to develop questioning skills using word banks and scaffolds. It explains why mediative questions are important and which mediative questions are the most valuable. (SM)

Notes that many teachers today are envisioning novel ways of integrating the Internet into their daily lessons. Examines how these teachers, experienced with the Internet, integrate the technology into their daily lessons. Suggests their stories, including their successes and failures, can inform teacher education and staff development in powerful…

Examines the relationships between first- (external) and second- (internal) order barriers to technology implementation by observing and interviewing several teachers within a single elementary school who had achieved varying levels of integration. Discusses strategies for technology staff development. (AEF)

Outlines a "twinning" program for staff development, involving collaboration between lecturers from the University of Glamorgan in Wales and the Bath College of Higher Education, England. Addresses the theme of professional development for academic staff, and reviews twinning experiences through an application of communication models to…

The employee-supervisor relationship is critical to a camp's success. Ideas from psychology, biology, and organizational dynamics illuminate how supervisors interpret certain staff traits and behaviors. The "set-up-to-fail" syndrome is described. Recommendations cover building good relationships and improving communication between supervisors and…