Despite the abundance of karst terrains and a universal lack of knowledge about the role they play in supplying freshwater resources, informal environmental education through guided show cave tours is poorly understood. This study evaluated techniques for educating cave guides on how to disseminate information about human-karst interactions to…

In-service teacher professional development has been used to improve teacher effectiveness. In Kentucky, the National Science Foundation funded a large professional development program called the Appalachian Math and Science Partnership (AMSP) to provide content-based professional development to teachers in rural schools. We show that students…

A school improvement effort that provided individually tailored reports on school effectiveness to 93 schools across the Commonwealth of Kentucky is analyzed. Dilemmas confronted by the individualized school reports explain why so little change was generated. The background for the research project from which the individual school reports were…

This study identified the responsibilities assigned to instructional supervisors (role performance) and what they felt these responsibilities should be (role expectation). Ninety Kentucky supervisors made up the sample. A 63-item questionnaire was administered in which respondents were requested both to identify their primary and secondary…

DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) job analyses were conducted for Kentucky state children's agency staff, both day treatment and residential teachers and administrators. Data were used to develop inservice programs, and the resulting job profiles were disseminated to local educational agencies providing services to state agency children. (SK)

Examined the impact of high-quality middle-level teacher preparation programs. Subjects were 2,139 teachers from 5 states. Middle schools with grades six through eight configurations were selected. Results showed that respondents prepared in comprehensive programs, had separate licensure, or who had taken more courses tended to give more favorable…

Specific objectives of a project to translate V-TECS (Vocational-Technical Consortium of States) catalogs of performance objectives into viable programs of instruction ready for implementation in the secondary and postsecondary training institutions of the State of Kentucky were the following: (1) To teach selected personnel to develop…

This study sought to determine the needs of early childhood teachers in Kentucky for education to help them manage children's nutrition in early childhood programs. The study also sought to determine whether formal classes, self-study via computer, or site-based inservice workshops is the most desirable format for teacher nutrition education. A…

A study was conducted to ascertain the job requirements and training needs of juvenile service unit workers. A training needs assessment inventory questionnaire was mailed to all juvenile service unit workers in the Kentucky Department of Child Welfare (DCW). Data from 146 questionnaires were analyzed to provide job descriptive information, which…

Despite the ever-increasing number of online professional development (OPD) programs, relatively few studies have been conducted to examine the efficacy of such programs for teachers and students. This manuscript presents findings from an impact study of OPD courses in fractions, algebraic thinking, and measurement on 79 fifth grade teachers'…

This paper offers highlights from the final report of Stanford's School Leadership Study, which should be available in January 2007. It discusses various policy and resource factors that enhance or impede the implementation of exemplary programs that develop and support principals. Among the research questions that guided this study were a set…

Math experts developed Formative Assessment Lessons that teachers can incorporate throughout the year's curriculum. Both tools target the "instructional core." A study by Research for Action (RFA) examining the first year of piloting the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC) tools (2010-11) found…

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in the development and dissemination of instructional tools to support teachers' incorporation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into their classroom instruction. Literacy experts have developed a framework and a set of templates that teachers and other educators can use to develop content…

In an effort to increase the knowledge about professional development programs that promote strong instructional leaders, the Wallace Foundation recently commissioned a study of innovative principal professional development programs and the policy and funding mechanisms that support them. In fall 2003, the foundation awarded a grant to a team of…

Data from elementary and secondary principals and teachers identified six recommendations for improving school based professional development: (preparing an articulated mission; planning for professional development at the school and practitioner level; implementing the plan; providing broad support for professional development; building and…