Effective Use of Computers
Members of The Caring Center school community recognized the need for professional development that focussed on the effective use of computers. After interviewing teachers, administrators, and parents, specific goals and a timeline were set for faculty enrichment.

Hands-on practice and on-going evaluation were provided over an 8-week period. Workshops emphasized keyboarding, maintaining software and hardware, navigating the internet, e-mail protocol, and using digital cameras and word processing for posters, newsletters, and record-keeping. The content of each workshop was differentiated to meet the participants' needs.

The workshops culminated in individual coaching where faculty members discussed and implemented the effective use of computers.

Desk-top Publishing
Parents, teachers and administrators agreed that the monthly newsletter is an important communication medium. The Caring Center distributes the monthly newsletter through regular student mailboxes and e-mail.

Over a period of 12 weeks, the newsletter editor was coached on the principles of 2-dimensional design, with an emphasis of PARC, an acronym for "Proximity," "Alignment," "Repetition," and "Contrast." Pre- and post-production workshops were dedicated to navigating the subtleties of MS Word and MS Publisher.