Reports conclusions reached from the observation of inservice education efforts in three states and a number of federal projects as well as from a review of the literature. Discusses six characteristics of effective inservice programs, the persistent problems that impede program success, effective practices, and future issues. (Author/WD)

District staff members and teachers in the Northern Lights School Division of Alberta designed a formal reading curriculum for kindergarten. In the first year, all 141 kindergarten-age students were included in the study. Their progress equaled that of students in average first-grade classrooms, and none of them failed. (Contains 14 references.)…

Describes the Southwest Texas Program for Improving Basic Skills Instruction in the Secondary Schools. It promotes a thoughtful, inquiry-oriented dialog between a university and six participating schools that encourages teachers to become more effective decision-makers. (MD)

Argues for a "zero-base" revision of school curricula in order to weed out poorly functioning components. Outlines procedures for carrying out such a revision at both the district and building levels. (WD)

Outlines the Madison Workshop Program for staff development, operated by the local school system in cooperation with a local college. This unique collaboration funds nationally known educators to present workshops for local teachers. (MD)

Summarizes three reasons for attending school (social, personal, and utilitarian) amd focuses on what should comprise utilitarian education for noncollege-bound high school students. Advocates curricula incorporating the skills, knowledge, values, and habits--especially continued willingness to learn--that will benefit students throughout…

Six years ago, students at Birch Meadow Elementary School (Reading, Massachusetts) were polite to adults, but callous and uncaring toward each other. Today, thanks to a "Just Community" approach modeled on Lawrence Kohlberg's philosophy, students feel a sense of school ownership and responsibility for their classmates. (MLH)

Provides guidelines for meeting legal standards of fairness in teacher evaluation. (WD)

Identifies two major administrative problems: (1) schools need instructional leadership, but management tasks take most of a principal's time, and (2) teachers want professional development leadership to come from within their own ranks. Examines myths and realities of the principal's role and describes master teacher leadership structures already…

Describes the learning community model that involves teachers in an ongoing process of developing and refining curriculum. Through the sharing of information teachers improve their classroom practices and are more accountable for what they teach. (MD)

A teacher, responding to the commission and task force criticism of education, points out that for real educational improvement to take place, critics must communicate with teachers. (MD)

Teachers are being reassigned outside their primary specialities because of budget cuts, declining enrollments, school closures, and teacher layoffs. This article offers guidelines for developing a program, based on one implemented in Garden City (Michigan), that serves the retraining and emotional needs of reassigned teachers. (WD)

Proposes six principles to follow when teaching students to think. Aimed at teaching thinking as an indivisible process rather than as a set of discrete skills, the principles involve active learning, the articulation of thinking, intuitive understanding, structuring courses developmentally, motivating learning, and establishing a positive…

Outlines a fictitious but ideal school in which staff work cooperatively and are encouraged to develop their talents. (MD)

In 1983 the Far West Laboratory's instructional management program established Peer-Assisted Leadership (PAL), a unique professional development program for principals. No longer isolated, principals help each other develop analytical and other skills to become better instructional leaders. MLH)