Examined are eight barriers that prevent Schon's views on reflective supervision from having a significant effect on practitioners. These eight barriers are interrelated; changing one without changing the others will have little effect. If supervisory practice is ever to embrace the notion of reflective supervision, deeply held beliefs about…

Explored is the opportunity supervision provides for educators to remake their image of themselves and of their professional practice through reflection. Focused upon is the relationship between supervisors and teachers, reflective time and space, vehicles for creative reflection, and the creation of self-confidence. (SI)

Examines how the use of self-directed training materials and limited inservice training improved the quality of teaching the Direct Reading-Thinking Activity. Concludes that teachers' verbal behavior in directing story reading can be easily modified. (MM)

Clinical supervision is a formative evaluation method of working with teachers to improve instruction. This teacher-centered, collegial, and collaborative model requires the establishment of rapport and trust in a proper climate. Clinical supervision enables teachers and supervisors to grow while promoting excellence in teaching and learning.…

Discusses the teacher assessment system of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The article explains the NBPTS policy on assessment and describes the NBPTS assessment model, which includes school site and assessment center modules. The assessment system leads to rigorous standards, national board certification, and…

Discussion of rewards given to higher education teachers for excellence lists criteria in the following areas: demonstrates outstanding achievement; demonstrates various competencies; is committed to the integrity of his/her subject; appreciates stakeholders' concerns; is committed to continuous improvement; and constructively contributes to…

Provides synopses of eleven recent articles on school improvement. Addresses specific topics such as: teacher assessment, early childhood education curriculum, principals' leadership effectiveness, student self-esteem, the impact of school climate and the teacher on student achievement, the communication skills of educators, first-year teachers,…

Describes how Kappa Delta Phi members will be involved in the conceptual process for improving education, explaining how in that involvement, they will face new certification processes and new ways of evaluating preservice and inservice experiences. Looks at the new certification process, noting that performance criteria, not coursework, will be…

Seeks to identify and reach consensus on criteria that can be used to assess and evaluate faculty sabbaticals. Using a sample of senior academic affairs administrators, 16 assessment criteria were identified, with recommendations made for further research and current practice. The measures included: increased scholarly output, new research…

The evaluation and professional development of teachers and administrators are two sides of the same coin. Both are the essential currency schools have to improve teachers' practice and students' learning, but schools often spend this currency unwisely. Too often, evaluations are a source of tension and conflict, even a necessary evil.…

This brief describes workplace conditions in "learning centered" schools, where practices are consistent with recent research knowledge about learning and its contexts. Its purpose is to support fundamental, long-term change by offering a vision of best practice for educators to consider, discuss, and adapt to their circumstances. It summarizes…

The Teaching Consultation Program (TCP) is one of the most popular faculty development programs offered in the University of Kentucky Community Colleges (UKCC's), having trained over 500 faculty since its implementation in 1977. The TCP is a confidential, peer consulting program available to faculty who wish to analyze their teaching behaviors and…

College-level students' achievements may be negatively impacted because college-level instructors, though well educated and informed in their particular subject area, may not be effective classroom teachers. A study was conducted to examine the preparation of postsecondary educators to determine if methodology training is considered to be of any…

Classroom observation and evaluation of teachers by supervisors or principals is a delicate process. Most teachers would welcome feedback from their supervisors about improving teaching, but they rarely receive it. Many times the role of the principal is unclear in the observation process. Standardized observation formats sometimes fail to…

In 1984, the Kentucky General Assembly mandated a beginning teacher internship program that combined knowledge testing prior to a 1-year initial license for teaching and performance assessment prior to continuing licensure (determined by an internship committee with a teacher at the same school, a principal, and a teacher educator). An internship…