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		Multi-School Joint Staff Training or Professional Development By Lynn Riker Director of Residence Life New Jersey Institute of Technology Plan a multi-school entry-level staff training for August? Or a multi-school staff development through out the year? Yes, it can be done. Below are some things to consider in planning an event or events like this. In late April of 1999 New Jersey schools were invited to meet to consider the idea of having a joint entry-level staff training program. When we met for the first time we talked about the feasibility, is there interest, is training similar enough from school to school, the challenge of keeping training fresh, the wish to help our staff feel connected with others in the field, to maximize resources, etc. Based on the discussion schools in attendance decided to go ahead with planning. We then jumped right into the nitty-gritty of planning. We considered staff (the number, educational background, levels of staff), possible formats, length, dates, costs, needs assessment, etc. Once the basics were decided upon an implementation plan was developed. We decided to meet in person on a monthly basis (a total of 5 meetings) to complete the planning. The responsibilities evolved into host school, programs, "Fun" Committee, evaluation and coordinator. The host school provided overnight housing, meals, meeting space, collected the money and sent out conference registration materials. Program topic areas were developed as a committee as a whole. For each topic area an individual became the contact person. The contact person called potential speakers, made confirmation calls, coordinated travel, etc. The Fun Committee organized icebreakers, snacks, early evening round table discussions, a resource room, fun evening activities and the closing of the training. One person coordinated evaluations. The evaluations were created and tabulated. The information garnered from the evaluations was utilized to assist in making a decision on future training and professional development. The coordinator made sure there were mailing lists, sent minutes, monitored the budget, assisted in the group process, etc. If you consider planning this type of program, flexibility and communication are critical. The planning process evolves based on: participants committing to the planning (and their personalities) needs of the schools involved communication patterns (honest and straight forward, clear expectations) building of trust meeting attendance (do the same people come all the time) level of investment by the members participating involvement of entry-level staff in planning (via assessment or direct involvement) We found the experience of planning and implementing this program accomplished our goals and was fun and rewarding. The evaluations of the 1999 were positive so we planned another training for August 2000 and are working on our third for August 2001. We also used the connections that were created in the August trainings to host one or two professional development seminars throughout the academic year. Other schools around the country have created similar professional development programs. Below are suggestions for planning: Who to involve? Consider . . . proximity, possible goals/outcomes of program, type of schools, leadership, etc. When or if to meet? In person or utilize technology? Discuss and clarify: Why do this? What are the benefits? What are the goals? What will the process of planning look like? Decide on format -- in-service, training, workshop Who is the target audience? What are the needs of the staff? When can this take place? Who can host? What are the costs? How can this be funded? Implementing the plan Communication -- Who will do what? By when? Accountability/follow up Evaluation For further information contact Lynn Riker, director of residence life, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 973.596.3039.