A Guide to Better Inservice Education in Texas.

Overview & Synopsis

The purpose of this guide is to help school districts and education service centers plan effective inservice education programs consistent with laws and rules enacted by the Texas state legislature and the Texas State Board of Education. Essential provisions and acceptable activities of inservice teacher education are listed. The basic elements of an inservice plan are delineated, including needs assessment, program design, scheduling, management, and evaluation. Guiding principles are offered for planning meaningful inservice education programs. Alternative designs and inservice education cooperatives are described. The answers to frequently asked questions about conducting inservice programs are provided in the areas of needs assessment, participants, special education, summer programs, credit or compensatory time, and the roles of education service centers and the Texas Education Agency. The appendix contains excerpts from Texas state law and Texas State Board of Education rulings pertaining to inservice education. (FG)