This paper advocates oral communication as one of the most effective methods of improving classroom instruction in all subjects. It focuses on the teaching of mathematics and science, where the grasping of concepts is essential to student learning. The paper provides a rationale for oral communication across the curriculum. Further, the paper…

During the 1985-86 school year an Intern-Mentor Program was implemented in all four regions of the District of Columbia Public Schools by the Incentive Programs Office. This program, designed to improve the teaching performance of first-year, beginning teachers, involved 90 new teachers and 10 specially selected mentor teachers. Mentors provided…

Four hundred twenty-six elementary, middle and high school teachers from the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Public Schools participated in a four-day staff development program in Effective Teaching Training, in January, 1986. This report evaluates that program in terms of: (1) effectiveness of staff development as defined in current research; (2)…

A practicum was implemented to train teachers working at a Montessori Learning Center to individualize instruction at the preschool, primary, and intermediate grade levels. The primary goal was to educate teachers about the importance of meeting the individual needs of each child. A 9-month staff training program was developed that provided the…

The 1985 education reform legislation in Illinois is assessed in this report. Following a summary and list of major findings and recommendations, the evaluation is divided into three main sections. The first section presents an overview of the legislation, identifies general themes, examines the reform's fiscal impact, compares the extent of…

This review surveys major currents of thought and practice in teacher evaluation. Citing recent state-mandated teacher evaluation policies and procedures, several compelling questions of accuracy, fairness, and utility are raised. In response to these questions, the document first focuses on the distinction between formative and summative…

This report includes three papers addressing the issue of technology and education written from the perspectives of business and corporate concerns, educator's concerns, and "collaborative" concerns (labor, business, education, and government). The report includes a commentary by the editor providing an overview of the papers' themes and…

After a brief historical review of the development of English polytechnics, focus is on the methodology of a behaviorally referenced student feedback instrument (AID) for determining areas of difficulty. Four possible models for the feedback instrument are cited; three are ruled out. The Instructional Development by Evaluation and Assessment…

As the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) considers the redesign of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), it is appropriate to consider the information about inservice professional development (IPD) that would be suitable for inclusion in the SASS. Part I of this paper considers the various definitions of IPD and its evaluation,…

This paper reports on a study of the changes that Czech education has undergone over the last decade. Many of these changes have been of a fundamental and significant nature, and have had an essential and relatively long-lasting influence on the form and behavior of the system. These changes have had their impact on the roles of people within the…

Compares previous research findings that examine the consistency between a Title I teacher's beliefs about reading and her instructional practices at the third- and seventh-grade levels. Supports (1) the need for teacher improvement programs; (2) the need to coordinate Title I instruction with regular classroom instruction; and (3) the importance…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the sciences are a common feature of U.S. universities that have a prominent mission of research. During the past 2 decades, increased attention has been paid to the professional development of GTAs as instructors. As a result, universities have created training programs to assist GTAs in selecting…

In May 1992, 22 Massachusetts mathematics educators who either teach or coordinate/direct adult basic education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED) programs were recruited into a group called the Math Team. During their monthly business/training sessions in central Massachusetts, members worked on various individual and team…

An inservice program for Australian teachers, which involved clinical supervision methods, was evaluated to examine its effectiveness. Clinical supervision seeks to promote a form of teacher development that is descriptive and formative. Teachers were involved in a process of assisted self-reflection about their teaching, with the aid of a…

Based upon case studies, surveys conducted in 18 participating school districts in fall 1987 and spring 1988, meeting observations, discussions with project staff, and an audit trail, this report evaluates the first year of the Wisconsin Rural Reading Improvement Project (WRRIP), a school improvement project aimed at helping small, rural schools…