The Georgia School Counselor Evaluation Program was developed in response to a legislative requirement to provide annual performance evaluations for all school counselors. The evaluation program is composed of two instruments and a set of procedures to ensure equitable evaluation for all counselors. (SLD)

How the performance appraisal system for school psychologists in North Carolina was developed and implemented is described. The evaluation system was developed with consideration for those to be evaluated and with respect for the needs of individuals as well as organizations. (SLD)

Issues related to the performance appraisal of school library and media specialists are discussed. Performance appraisal is an essential part of the management job, but supervisors of library or media specialists must integrate proven concepts into their own evaluation models to avoid the narrow focuses of the past. (SLD)

The phenomenon of teacher mentoring is examined from a micropolitical point of view. Data from 58 mentor teachers in a career ladder school district in the Southwest are used to explore alternative views of collegiality and collaboration and the nature of the mentor relationship. (SLD)

The ways in which teachers interact with the expressed intent of increasing their own or one another's understanding and abilities are explored. The focus is on how conditions for collaboration as they pertain to professional growth and renewal can be enabled. Emphasis is placed on teacher education and beginning teachers. (SLD)

Multiple methods are advocated as a way of understanding and documenting the complex tasks and relationships of the mentoring process. The methods used in a multisite study of 35 mentors and 20 interns in their induction year are described. Preliminary results indicate that mentoring is not a linear process. (SLD)

At Iowa State University, the effects of a peer-coaching in-service model on teachers' use of a complex teaching technique were studied and the perceptions of 11 teachers and 2 principals were determined. Results demonstrate that the peer-coaching model shows promise for increasing teacher effectiveness. (SLD)

Results are reported for an evaluative study of a multidistrict innovation in Pennsylvania that instituted a teacher peer-coaching program across multiple school districts. The program, which promotes peer-coaching teams through workshops, flourished in schools where there was good staff development and high administrative support. (SLD)

From an analysis of educational reform and the teaching crisis in agricultural/food sciences in Central and Eastern Europe emerged three key issues: (1) redefinition of the role of agricultural/food science managers; (2) replacement of production orientation with a comprehensive approach to rural development; and (3) recognition of the educational…

In a cost-effective way to assess training benefits, replies to open-ended questions are analyzed for patterns, and common themes are grouped hierarchically. Trainees perceived benefits in terms of improved professional skills; their managers stressed personal and attitudinal changes in trainees. (SK)

The mentoring model of one-to-one interaction is an important approach to lifelong learning and a pragmatic method of helping adults adapt to changing personal, social, and workplace situations. Mentoring can promote meaningful understanding and appreciation of multicultural and other differences. (SK)

The Principles of Adult Mentoring Scale is a tool with which professionals can evaluate their own competencies and behaviors for mentoring adult learners. It can be used to guide the continuing education of mentors by identifying proficiencies they need to develop. (SK)

Institutionally sponsored mentoring programs benefit organizations by aiding retention of employees or students. A successful program must have endorsement from top administration and a designated coordinator who is sensitive to organizational goals and objectives as well as the varied needs of mentors and proteges. (SK)

Philadelphia's Sponsor-a-Scholar program pairs high school students with adults who guide them in preparing for the future. The program shows that there is little certainty about what constitutes best practice; that the complex task of mentoring requires a gamut of skills; and that support services for both mentors and proteges are essential. (SK)

The mentoring relationship can enhance mentors' own psychosocial development and growth; proteges gain from the synergy that results. Organizational benefits include improved recruitment and induction, better staff planning, and increased communication. Society at large benefits from maximized human capacity, strengthened networks, and increased…