Roanoke County School System Faculty and Staff's Perceptions Regarding the Use of Web-Based Professional Development Educational Thesis Implications for Improvement of Practice Introduction (could be longer. Include mandatory teacher ongoing certification standards) Ongoing staff development has long been a vital part of the educational environment. It is the means by which the faculty and staff of a school system are kept current in educational trends, technologies and philosophies. In a diverse society, social

In fact, as early as the 1989-1990 school years, school-based decision making was implemented in three elementary schools in the Memphis City School System (Smith, Valesky & Horgan, 1991). Based on this seminal initiative, improvements were cited in: (a) the coordination provided by the school councils; (b) school-based staff development activities; (c) support and services provided by the district central office; (d) data and reports provided to the individual

Good researchers tend to pull methods out of a tool kit as they are needed" (2006, p. 54). Notwithstanding these criticisms and constraints, though, most social researchers seem to agree that classification by some type of research paradigm is a useful approach based on the need to determine which approach is best suited for a given research enterprise. In this regard, Corby concludes that, "The contested nature of research

Distance learning, sometimes called "distance education" is, according to Kerka (1996), a method of education in which the learner is physically separated from the professor and the institution sponsoring the instruction. Distance education may be used on its own, or in conjunction with other forms of education, including face-to-face instruction. The advent of television and, indeed, the whole complex of newer communications media (from video to satellites) has given American citizens

Still other states, such as Nevada and North Carolina, require four weeks or more for eligibility for home instruction (See Appendix C). In terms of providing instruction, the states vary greatly in their requirements. In some states, such as Alaska and Hawaii, the homebound or hospital instructors are not required to hold certified teaching certificates, but act as tutors alone. They obtain regular classroom materials from the student's regular instructor,

(Feldman & Greenberg, 2005, p. 67) Staffing coordinators, often nurse leaders must seek to give priority to educational needs as a reason for adjusting and/or making schedules for staff, including offering incentives to staff not currently seeking educational goals for assisting in this priority regardless of the implementation of a tuition reimbursement program. (Feldman & Greenberg, 2005, p. 233) Nurse Leaders as Academic Theorists The fact that many nurse leaders serve