Nineteen school districts will receive awards for exemplary staff development programs. The National Center for the Improvement of Learning selected these programs from among 99 submitted in the award competition. Ten programs are briefly described; the remaining programs will be featured in the March issue of this journal. (MLF)

The Advisory Panel of the National Center for the Improvement of Learning selected 19 exemplary staff development programs from a total of 99 entries. Nine programs are briefly described; the other 10 were featured in the February issue of this journal. (MLF)

Describes an interdistrict network developed by the Metropolitan Teaching Effectiveness Cadre program that provides training in effective intsruction and supervision for 22 Kansas and Missouri school districts. (MD)

Staff development programs that use models and simulated practice, as well as feedback and coaching, can motivate English teachers to implement methods that research indicates are effective in teaching the various aspects of English. (HOD)

Offers guidelines, based on exemplary writing programs, that are applicable to any inservice instruction if they are applied judiciously and flexibly. (HOD)

Reports the results of a study in which 294 two-year college presidents in the 13 Northeastern states were surveyed to ascertain their assessment of staff development needs and their thoughts on where, when, and how staff development is best achieved. (DC)

This is a summary of the report issued by the President's National Advisory Council on Education Professions Development which states that the most potent and creative staff available will be required to meet the demands placed on the community college by society. (RN)

Stressing the need to re-examine one's initial teacher training, the article analyzes five ways a teacher can realize continuous self-directed professional development: taking charge of one's own development; learning from real-life experience; sharing in educational intervention; participating in educational research; and taking advantage of…

A successful, large-scale staff development program at a Colorado elementary school is described. The article focuses on initial district administrative support, transition to a teacher-directed program, and the voluntary peer coaching program which kept the excitement alive and ensured that training was firmly incorporated into teachers' daily…

A description is given of the IMPACT II programs which support local staff development efforts by focusing on the improvement of teacher creativity and insure teacher-to-teacher sharing of curriculum and teaching ideas. (JD)

Reports on a study undertaken to determine whether or not the characteristics of effective inservice could be documented in an experimental study to have an effect on use of process-oriented vocabulary and reading comprehension strategies in the classroom. Finds that the study confirms initial expectations about the qualities of effective staff…

Proposes a systematic way of defining the concept of professional development and revealing its structure through use of a mapping sentence based on analysis of the concepts of development and profession. The mapping sentence may guide teacher developers in planning programs to suit varying concepts of professional development. (SM)

Standards are important within school improvement. Today's issue has moved beyond setting standards to knowing what to do with them. Measurement is the most useful part of the exercise. This paper describes standards and their measurement, explains constructive comparisons, presents an imperative for U.S. schools, and notes the importance of…

Approaches that schools can use to create a high-quality, professional, working community are provided in this journal issue. The report uses a case study to illustrate the process. A review of research reveals at least five major dimensions of the professional learning community: supportive and shared leadership, collective learning and…

This book, which is based on the premise that teaching is basically a performing art, focuses on the issues involved in training teachers to become excellent performers. The book's 15 chapters describe how teacher can, through demonstration and coaching by other expert teachers, learn the generic skills and performing moves of exceptional…