Discusses some recent trends in teacher certification and professional development and the impact they have had on literacy instruction in schools. Argues for a multifaceted approach to meet the demand for high-quality teachers. Discusses alternative pathways to licensure. (SG)

Four actions are necessary when contracting to do staff development: recognize that a presenter is a consultant first, arrange for a group contracting conversation in order to completely understand the school's needs, work from a standard set of design questions, and work from a standard set of logistics questions. (SM)

Discusses using portfolios to evaluate and improve teacher performance. (SR)

Today's staff developers juggle eight roles as their work has broadened to incorporate more responsibility and accountability for continuous changes in educational programs. The eight often-overlapping roles are trainer/designer, coach, resource provider, program manager, consultant, task facilitator, process facilitator, and catalyst for change.…

Discusses how to engineer more time into the school day for staff development by restructuring staff, using technology, and team teaching. School boards and parents must be given education, information, and results to experiment with these and other options to create time. A sidebar describes how to create a 15-hour block of time for planning or…

Using the Professional Circle model, teachers can move from isolation to collaboration while pursuing goals with others who share similar interests. A Professional Circle offers teachers continued motivation, acknowledgment, and support of self- development efforts. Presents guidelines for developing a Professional Circle, describing the…

Considers and discusses different ways of teaching phonemic awareness. Suggests that 5 factors should be included to have an adequate background for informed decision making about phonemic awareness instruction. Describes 10 books, guidebooks and activity books with phonemic awareness or phonological awareness in their titles. (SG)

This highly practical guide is grounded in the authors' experience setting up and running a successful professional development program to improve K-3 reading instruction. The book systematically describes how professional development works: how sessions are organized, what they contain, routines and procedures, and the roles of each participant.…

This observation guide lists 270 separate items, in checklist format, to be used for informal evaluation of classroom teachers by their peers. Items for observation are given for mechanics of teaching, scholarship, organization, classroom relationships, and miscellaneous teaching functions, as well as for preparation, topic choice, quality of…

Many teachers indicate they would appreciate more administrator feedback about their classroom performance but don't receive it. Principals must take the time and effort to help teachers improve their instructional skills. Presents four findings from research on administrator feedback. Includes six references. (Author/MD)

The purpose and value of teacher observation is diminished if the post-observation conference is not well planned and productive. The observer must take into account the setting, the tone, and the messages conveyed. Includes advice on questioning strategies, data sharing, focusing strategies, and closure strategies. (Author/MD)

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Reading Initiative and this Inquiry Study: "Exploring Visions of Literacy" invites study groups to embark on a professional journey no individual can fully predict. Through considering the visions of several leading literacy educators (B. Cambourne, M.A.K. Halliday, J. Harste, S.…

The National Writing Project at Work monograph series describes National Writing Project (NWP) work, often shared informally or in workshops through the NWP network, and offers detailed chronological accounts for sites interested in adopting and adapting the models. This monograph--"The Story of SCORE"--is a realistic look at how an…

The National Writing Project (NWP) at Work monograph series describes NWP work, often shared informally or in workshops through the NWP network, and offers detailed chronological accounts for sites interested in adopting and adapting the models. This monograph--"The Johnston Area Writing Partnership (JAWP)"--describes a North Carolina…

Describes a data-based, anxiety-reducing supervisory process. Several instruments are presented that can be used by teachers to gather information on their own performance. (MLF)