Teaching Staff books

This book is the first of its kind to address community arts and evaluation with an emphasis on the visual arts. This volume draws together a variety of international perspectives dealing with the common difficulty of conception related to both the mission of community centers and of the value of the visual arts programs offered within them. This volume provides a wide range of views solicited from scholars, expert in evaluation and community arts, who are situated in different cultural settings.

This examination of advances in programme evaluation looks at issues such as deconstructing illuminative evaluation and new paradigm research; programme evaluation as a conceptual practice of power; and pragmatism and evaluative enquiry for organizational learning. It acknowledges the spread of postmodern doubt to the field of programme evaluation and the contributing authors discuss the theoretical and practical challenges postmodernism presents to programme evaluators.

One of the more interesting perspectives for evaluation is 'narrative'. Narratives are the common vehicles people use to understand and to communicate the value of their actions and social practices. Given the valuational and action-oriented character of narrative it seems strange that evaluators have not yet discovered its value. In this volume we, an international and multidisciplinary group of practising evaluators and policy analysts in various policy fields such as mental health, education, social welfare and water management, explore what a narrative perspective can mean for the practice of program evaluation. We do so by showing and telling.

This 15th volume of "Advances in Early Education and Day Care" focuses on the implementation of professional development for early childhood educators, describing a number of models for improving early childhood care. These models differ by setting, urban, rural, public, private, center and home based child care. These programs also differ by implementation model. Mentoring, workshops, online information and college courses are examples of how professional development was implemented. The systematic assessment of both the providers and the children described in these chapters will be of assistance for future research designers who are conducting large scale data collection and analysis. These chapters should serve as a way for policy makers to become informed about how best to expend scarce resources in the implementation of professional development. Increasing our knowledge of effective practices in professional development is an important factor in improving the outcomes for future generations of children. The collection of these chapters in one volume should provide future developers of professional development with a road map for what works and what might not be as effective.

Historically, women of color have experienced discrimination based on the double jeopardy of race and/or ethnicity, and gender in their quest for access and advancement in higher education. Today's women of color in higher education however are the beneficiaries of courageous and committed women predecessors who confronted and disrupted institutions to attain a higher level of education (Jean-Marie, 2005). Together with Volume 9, this two-edited volume focuses on African American, Hispanic American, Native American, and Asian-Pacific American women whose increased presence in senior level administrative and academic positions in higher education is transforming the political climate to be more inclusive of women of color. Topics include trends and issues, leadership styles/characteristics, tenure and promotion, mentoring/social networks, and challenges and opportunities. As a conceptual framework, the collection of chapters in the two volumes acquaints readers with a broad overview of the characteristics and experiences of women of color in higher education. The two volumes include: "Women of Color in Higher Education: Turbulent Past, Promising Future" and "Women of Color in Higher Education: Changing Directions and New Perspectives".

Historically, women of color have experienced discrimination based on the double jeopardy of race and/or ethnicity, and gender in their quest for access and advancement in higher education. Today's women of color in higher education however are the beneficiaries of courageous and committed women predecessors who confronted and disrupted institutions to attain a higher level of education (Jean-Marie, 2005). Together with Volume 10, this two-edited volume focuses on African American, Hispanic American, Native American, and Asian-Pacific American women whose increased presence in senior level administrative and academic positions in higher education is transforming the political climate to be more inclusive of women of color. Topics include trends and issues, leadership styles/characteristics, tenure and promotion, mentoring/social networks, and challenges and opportunities. As a conceptual framework, the collection of chapters in the two volumes acquaints readers with a broad overview of the characteristics and experiences of women of color in higher education. The two volumes include: "Women of Color in Higher Education: Turbulent Past, Promising Future" and "Women of Color in Higher Education: Contemporary Perspectives and Changing Directions".