Identifies key challenges for community colleges concerning faculty and professional staff: preparing and attracting qualified faculty, implementing the teaching and learning paradigm, helping faculty make use of current technology, and improving the status and morale of professional staff. Proposes several potential solutions for each challenge.…

Four camp directors discuss how the September 11 tragedy and current world events will affect their camps. They describe how they are addressing safety concerns, working with parents, cooperating with outside agencies, hiring and screening international staff, and revising emergency plans. Camps must continue to offer community and support to…

Offers a theory of collaborative mentorship as a powerful force for professional development and change, describing a co-mentoring project in which professionals across a school-university setting formed a collaborative culture of learning. The paper describes their partnership support group, discusses how partners suspended distinctions between…

Provides an example of staff and undergraduate student development through collaborative writing within a discipline. The "writing to learn" initiative involved staff developers working alongside academic staff and students within subject tutorials, which placed the developer at the nexus of both staff and student development and facilitated an…

The Internet's unique scope, characteristics and potential make it a vehicle for media specialists to model good use of information technology and provide far-reaching instructional leadership in schools. This article focuses on approaches to Web site selection, supervision, and staff development for effective use of the Internet in schools. (AEF)

Focuses on "Bootstrap Training," a scientific literacy program for permanent non-science and part-time adjunct librarians at San Jose State University Library. Describes an initial training-needs questionnaire distributed to all reference personnel, the implementation of a staff development program with scientific literacy goals,…

This study evaluated behavior support training for a residential and vocational support agency. Three training sessions were provided to managerial and direct-care staff, during which trainees worked in teams to plan or complete functional assessments and behavior support plans for focus clients. Frequency of problem behavior was reduced for all…

Describes how best to prepare camp staff to put the kids first by developing a mindset of believing in children. Gives practical suggestions to camp staff, including advice that supervisors commit themselves to identifying at least one positive counseling experience each day and acknowledging that success publicly or privately. (CDS)

This article reports on a one-day workshop in New York to provide practical information and training for teaching assistants working in the mainstream classroom setting with students who have visual impairments. The workshop provided information on "myths" versus "facts" of visual impairment, eye conditions, orientation and mobility, technology,…

This article identifies competencies needed by paraprofessionals working in early childhood special education including ways to document various mastery levels. It describes use of the competencies in Oregon's early childhood special education personnel development program. It explains the process used to identify needed competencies and also…

Discussion of the research-to-practice gap in special education first suggests the Mainstream Assistance Teams effort as an example of this gap. It then suggests reasons for the gap and proposes a model that emphasizes collaboration between researchers and practitioners and nontraditional staff development activities. Lessons learned and…

Discusses the decline in expenditures for telecommunications in schools and considers the role of instructional technology. Topics include problems with electronic books; technology use; Internet access; spending for instructional technology; teacher and student computer use; staff development; preservice training; technology support; outdated…

The shortage of school library media specialists (SLMSs) has accentuated the need for establishing and promoting mentoring programs in K-12 schools. Mentoring programs for SLMSs in two large urban school systems are addressing the needs of new SLMSs. Sample orientation/mentoring program activities are given. (AEF)

Most camps use specialists to run activities and cabin leaders to manage campers. However, a generalist model offers greater leadership development opportunities. To implement a more generalist paradigm, have camp leaders express their areas of skill and interest, pair up experienced and inexperienced staff, allow specialists to cover activities…

Each summer Middle Tennessee State University captures the enthusiasm of teachers and students in this cost-free academy, which offers quality professional development for teachers and a week of stimulating learning experiences for approximately 200 students in grades K-12. The university provides a meaningful summer experience for both teachers…