This interview with a school principal, Efrain Vila, argues that staff development is crucial in school reform. Teachers cannot be asked to use new processes if they do not have opportunities to learn how to use them. His school's faculty meetings always include staff development components. Parent involvement is also essential. (SM)

Examines collaborative research and practice-oriented inquiry groups which facilitate the professional development of educators and the enhancement of student achievement within a middle-school Professional Development School (PDS). Small groups of university and school educators conduct action research and inquiry about school-based educational…

Consistent with education reform efforts, the Jamaican Government invited The Commonwealth of Learning to participate in an on-site needs assessment survey. Previous examination results revealed a need to strengthen teaching and learning in English, mathematics, and science, as most primary school teachers required enhancement in both the content…

In the accountability movement in higher education, the success of two-year colleges is often viewed solely by standards which apply only to four-year institutions, such as the completion of a degree program. Many two-year college students, however, enroll to prepare for employment, to develop important life skills, or to retrain for employment.…

This paper summarizes research on teacher attitudes and performance under clinical supervision. The literature for comparative studies of inservice personnel (not student teachers) in elementary and secondary schools was extensively searched. The 19 complete and 4 in-progress studies reported are grouped as follows: (1) attitudes toward…

To improve learning and the work lives of teachers, in 1985 Massachusetts enacted Chapter 188, the Public School Improvement Act, which establishes and implements a system for testing and evaluating school and student performance. Since Chapter 188 was implemented, Massachusetts schools have improved faster than the national rate. Proposals for…

An experimental preservice teacher education program was developed to train prospective high school teachers to increase academic learning time through identification and arrangement of instructional tasks of personal and social significance. Participants were 34 junior-level prospective teachers who were subjected to two treatments which…

This four-chapter study presents the results of an examination of inservice teacher education needs for primary school teachers in Rivers State, Nigeria. Chapter 1 presents an overview and analysis of the needs, and highlights the introduction of universal primary education in 1970, school enrollment increases, the short supply and inadequate…

Citing examples from a successful district improvement plan used in Greensville County, Virginia, this paper lists and explains ways a school board can improve teacher competence. After warning that measures that work in one school district may not work in others, the author suggests that school boards should set high district standards, insist on…

The effectiveness of a teaching method known as "pyramid training" is appraised. This training method was implemented in an inservice program called the Classroom Management Training Program (CMTP). The pyramid technique progressed in the following manner: A three day training session in classroom management skills was taught by a a consultant to…

This study focuses on the role of the department chairman in supervising beginning English teachers to help them develop teaching skills which will result in increasing pupil achievement in language arts within the established curriculum. A part of the study focused on the development of 11 strategies of supervision which were tested in a Pilot…

This paper, which focuses on community college faculty productivity, is part of a series published by the Center for Community College Policy, designed to support state and local policymakers, as well as educational leaders who are interested in policy issues related to the two-year postsecondary sector. The day-to-day interaction of faculty and…

This book examines teachers' lounges as sites for the development of communal knowledge. It highlights data from surveys of teachers regarding their interactions in 26 elementary and secondary teachers' lounges in Israeli schools. The book regards teachers in lounges as learners, whether they are involved in formal professional development…

This report highlights Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states' recent legislation affecting teachers. Section 1 examines teacher licensure and certification, looking at such action taken by states as requiring teachers to know how to use technology in order to get or renew licenses and addressing the issue of teachers' content knowledge…

Presents several common misperceptions about student evaluation of college faculty members. Asserts that it is essential to examine the operational processes used to measure effective teaching. Discusses the role of research, the importance of sociology, and the utility of standardized assessments of student learning in faculty evaluation. (CFR)