Assessment can assist key steps in the development of effective school improvement planning (SIP) programs. The article refers to an SIP Action Guide, highlighting four occasions during use of the Action Guide when assessment processes are key (assessment within action plans and assessment to identify strengths, concerns, and possible causes). (SM)

Assessment information can help school improvement teams focus the direction of improvement and specify action plans. A fishbone diagram can help identify contributing factors within four areas (educators, students, curriculum, and organization). An example from one middle school that used the diagram to improve students' writing assessment scores…

Details specific ways to describe progress in the school improvement process (SIP) to first-level stakeholders (students and educators) and second-level stakeholders (parents, administrators, school board members, and community members). The paper illustrates such reporting by describing use of assessment information in relation to the Middle…

The QUILT (Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking) program tested the hypothesis that well-designed staff development would positively affect teachers and students. QUILT increased and sustained teacher use of classroom questioning techniques to produce higher levels of student learning and thinking. QUILT participants…

Budget-conscious Americans are increasingly asking that staff developers provide hard data about program effectiveness. The concept of return on investment (ROI) is useful in documenting the effectiveness of staff development programs. To calculate ROI, baseline data must be compared with results realized by the organization. (SM)

This article discusses how to use technology to collect, store, sort, and reformat assessment data on the school improvement process, explaining the use of desktop computers with databases and the use of portable devices in the assessment process. (SM)

Interview with Thomas Guskey examines the benefits of staff development, presenting reasons for interest in the topic, advice for educators who want to trace the impact of staff development programs on participants and students, and the need for staff developers to identify some targets and monitor movement toward the targets. (SM)