This monograph presents an assessment instrument that utilizes teacher and student behavioral indicators to assess the quality of inquiry instruction. The instrument provides teachers with feedback which not only assesses the presence of critical teaching skills, but also serves as a valuable training aid for helping them perceive how their own…

The Missouri Plan provides for direct participation of teachers in the planning, development, and implementation of the district career ladder plan. This study analyzed the appropriateness of the Missouri teacher incentive plan. In particular, the study sought to determine why districts did or did not choose to implement career ladder programs;…

The Partners in Elementary Science (PIES) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is a model Teacher Enhancement project. Its goal was to develop and test a program to help elementary teachers strengthen their science teaching by addressing areas of need, specifically teachers' confidence in teaching inquiry science and helping teachers…

To address the issue of implementing research findings in the schools, 26 teachers enrolled in a graduate seminar in teaching reading applied research findings in their classrooms. Their instructor visited their classrooms and used her observations as discussion starters for the seminar, during which they also discussed assigned readings. They…

The faculty development program of a department at a predominantly black university in the South Atlantic region of the United States (identified by the pseudonym Reed University) was studied. The purpose was to identify the extent to which the principles and practices of adult education are applied within the faculty development effort; to…

A description of the Teacher, Industry and Environment (TIE) educational improvement project at Central Missouri State Univesity is provided in this report. TIE is designed for Missouri high school chemistry teachers, involving 73 of them in a weekend workshop, meeting with chemists, engineers, and educators to assist them in using resources…

This two-part learning module was designed to help instructors in making effective use of questioning techniques in promoting the classroom involvement of non-traditional students. Part I identifies the characteristics and uses of three different types of questions: (1) convergent, eliciting questions, which are designed to verify student…

In 2000, researchers conducted surveys on teacher preparation and qualifications, measuring change since 1998. Respondents were 5,253 K-12 teachers nationwide. The survey repeated some indicators of teacher quality examined in 1998 and explored new issues. Virtually all teachers held bachelor's degrees, and nearly half held master's degrees.…

This report provides information on how federal funding is being used to reduce class size and to spur academic achievement in U.S. urban schools, focusing on the federal Class Size Reduction Program signed into law in 1998. Data from surveys of 40 members of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of the U.S.'s largest urban public…

Four aspects of faculty self-evaluation are discussed: its relationship to student ratings and teacher characteristics; its use for personnel decisions and improving performance; sample self-evaluation forms and their proper use; and faculty growth contracts. (MSE)

This document provides a research study of a 10-year elementary school teacher science staff development project, "The Science in Rural California Teacher Enhancement Project." The study investigated the long term effects on teacher participants 3 to 5 years after project contact: beliefs about science, confidence levels about teaching…

This individualized inservice packet on interpretive comprehension in the content areas provides teachers with instructional guidelines and information relating to the development of interpretive comprehension skills. It is one of a nine-part series of booklets--Teaching Teen Reading--in self-instructional format intended as a practical resource…

"A Computer for Every Teacher" was a project of the Indiana Department of Education to provide each teacher and administrator in four schools with a computer and printer for personal and professional use. This equipment was accompanied by software and realistic amounts of training. Its focus was to improve teacher productivity and to enhance…

To promote research conducted by faculty, Cuyahoga Community College (CCC), in Ohio, developed the Faculty as Researcher Initiative (FRI). The initial goals of the FRI were to recruit 15 to 18 faculty members from CCC's three campuses to form a research group, assist in the development of research ideas and strategies, and develop a system for…

The Utah Career Ladder System was evaluated, in an effort to provide policy options for Phase II of the Career Ladder implementation in Utah and present policy recommendations. Five major data collection efforts were made: (1) analysis of district career ladder plans from 1985-86 through 1987-88; (2) a telephone survey of Utah's 40 superintendents…