Reviews the research literature on continuing professional education for teachers and administrators in rural areas. Discusses conceptual contradictions in rural writings, describes research needs for rural staff development, suggests appropriate methodology for rural school studies, and calls for a national research agenda for rural education.…

Describes a staff development program used by the Cambridge (Massachusetts) elementary schools in conjunction with the implementation of multicultural curriculum components. Includes a lesson plan in which staff developers model multicultural literature and cooperative learning strategies. (FMW)

Reports the results of a survey that asked academic librarians where they had acquired their professional knowledge and where they would prefer to acquire it. The discussion covers preferences for skills acquisition through library schools, on the job training, and professional continuing education, and the implications of these preferences for…

In moving Syracuse University (New York) administrative computing applications from mainframe to a client/server environment, challenges have come not from technological transition but from changes in the ways both information systems are organized and clients work. Cultural initiatives were necessary, including organizational restructuring,…

Examines research on how technology can be used to support innovative teaching. Highlights focus on student interests and increased student participation, technology-supported cooperative learning, staff development, alternate forms of testing and emphasis on higher level thinking skills, and the importance of collaborative research in real-world…

Forward-looking educators are teaching students to be flexible, creative thinkers by using cooperative learning, authentic assessments, interdisciplinary units taught to heterogeneous groups. Principals should facilitate appropriate staff development, build master planning schedule providing for team planning periods, allow staff members to attend…

Describes a collaborative curriculum program developed by the library media specialist and classroom teachers for a sixth-grade unit on space exploration at a North Carolina elementary school. Staff development, shared activities of teachers and the library media specialist, and special activities in the library media center are described. (LRW)

Describes the implementation of a technology project in an Arizona elementary school that provided classrooms with networked access to the Internet as part of a school restructuring effort. A business partnership with Motorola Corporation is explained; technical support and staff development are discussed; and examples of classroom projects are…

Discussion of an organizational change at the University of Wisconsin that merged two departments to create the Instructional Technology Center highlights staffing, including staff training and development; space and physical renovation; hardware and software acquisition; the use of multimedia; and implementing a new core curriculum. (LRW)

This study aimed to increase the independent engagement of integrated elementary students with disabilities, by decreasing prompts from aides and using pictorial activity schedules to diminish dependence on adult support. A nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design, replicated across three aide-child pairs, revealed that the intervention resulted in…

Future organizations must integrate their human-resource development requirements with organizational development requirements to survive and prosper. A totally integrated systems model will feature 10 crucial elements. Leaders must understand that their organizations pass through developmental stages (from infancy to maturity); at each stage,…

Kennesaw State College (Georgia) has developed initiatives to enhance leadership and team-building skills of classified employees. The programs include a staff leadership training course, open to 20-24 employees annually, and the Staff Training and Orientation Program (STOP) to provide new employees with information about the institution in an…

Describes a job-embedded staff development program that has provided training and ongoing support in implementing cooperative learning and other teaching strategies in one Iowa school district. Job embedded means that leaders teach others and view their role as staff developers as important. (SM)

Deskilling approaches to staff development separate the conception of curriculum from execution of curriculum. The article discusses the experience of one staff developer regarding deskilling staff-development practices, shares journal reflections, and describes a set of strategies used to encourage teachers to actively participate in their own…

Whole-faculty study groups show promise as a vehicle for integrating initiatives and focusing school improvement efforts on increased student learning. The paper describes the San Diego Unified (City) School District's experiences in developing and implementing successful whole-faculty study groups. The groups increased collegiality and improved…