This quasi-experimental study examined the adoption of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines in 23 high schools. After training, school administrators and other staff members demonstrated substantial increases in knowledge of threat assessment principles and decreased commitment to zero tolerance approaches. Schools using the…

The development and implementation of a Professional Development School (PDS)--sponsored summer program for at-risk secondary students is described. Literature related to PDSs and summer programs is followed by a presentation of data findings and analysis. Attendance and grade point average data gathered on the 17 participating rising ninth…

Curriculum developers should consider middle level learners' needs for intellectual growth and individual attention and their needs to understand themselves and know others. (MLF)

Describes how teachers and administrators at one school developed Inservice Ideas for Teacher Encouragement (INSITE), a series of high-interest, low-budget inservice training programs that draw from existing resources including the current expertise and interests of staff members. Programs addressed both personal and professional development…

Presents and explains how to use a checklist for helping principals determine the presence of effective elements in their schools' staff development programs. The checklist process involves testing such program factors as school commitment levels, needs assessment components, program development activities, program implementation and evaluation,…

Middle level students have unique needs that can be met by a school advising program. Outlines the goals and a timeline for implementing an advisory program along with nine components essential to a successful guidance and advisory program. (MLF)

Describes current attitudes toward staff development through inservice education, the need to coordinate staff evaluation and inservice programs, and the leadership required of administrators and committees. Particular attention is paid to basing inservice programs on needs expressed by teachers. The program followed in Fort Lee (New Jersey) is…

According to this model for effective professional growth programs for teachers, teachers and their supervisors must independently identify the teachers' growth needs, must agree on the needs, and must mutually develop a program that is appropriate, demands supervisor responsiveness, and is well-received by the teacher. (PGD)

Educational travel does more for students than merely show them the sights. It has the larger purpose of sensitizing them to other cultures by helping them to understand background of what they see. Mental growth and attitudinal change will be the result of a well-conceived and well-constructed travel itinerary. (Editor)

Professional growth opportunities in most schools are limited and ineffective. By enabling teachers to participate actively in their own learning, examine current instructional strategies, and determine what they must do to improve, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' assessment process and professional development can help…

After nearly two years' experience with the interdisciplinary studies program, career pathways, and alternating-day 10-block schedule, the Farmington (Missouri) High School faculty is pleased with their progress. Student and teacher surveys indicate an ongoing need for improvements to meet all students' learning needs. This schedule is not for…

Discusses development of the six components of any sound performance appraisal program: (1) explicit job descriptions, (2) definitions of key areas of responsibility, (3) criteria for performance appraisal, (4) methods for data collection and analysis, (5) written procedures, and (6) legal review of all procedures. (PGD)

Curriculum auditing is a quality-control process. If a course is not meeting expectations, is not serving students, or needs adjustment, the Roanoke Valley (Virginia) Governor's School for Science and Technology employs benchmarking to attain data to fix the problem or move in another direction. (MLH)

Although the author offers no handy formula to determine program effectiveness, she does present an extensive list of statements that can help the school administrator plan program improvement with his music teachers. (Editor)

Author feels that the success of an educational innovation should not be judged on whether it fulfills its promise 100 percent, but on whether it moves education closer to its goal. (Editor)