Strong family--school partnerships are crucial throughout K--12 education as they enable the development and implementation of meaningful educational programs for students with disabilities. This is especially true during transition planning. In many families, youth with disabilities have siblings that are a core part of the family unit, are…

This article offers a framework for planning teams to use to implement inclusive education. Four planning dimensions (action planning, management, evaluation, and reflection) are discussed, including specific considerations for classroom teams. An example of one school's efforts toward developing an effective inclusion program is provided. (DB)

This book presents an interactive, step-by-step method for implementing and evaluating mentor programs and relationships. The 11 chapters include: (1) "Mentoring: A Welcome Teaching Assistant" (e.g., benefits to mentors, proteges, and districts); (2) "Initial Program Development" (e.g., planning, implementation, and assessment); (3) "What is Our…

This manual is a guide to consultation and collaboration for educators of gifted children and is based on the Resource Consultation and Collaboration Program implemented at 10 schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, over 2 years. Individual chapters of the manual address the following topics: (1) overview of resource consultation and collaboration…

The Improving the Quality for All project in England and the Manitoba School Improvement Program in Canada have demonstrated considerable success in working with schools. This article traces both programs' development, analyzes their different approaches, and reveals commonalities. Both programs encourage teacher collaboration and foster…

This paper describes Education Review Teams as an evolution of practice stemming from evidence of the effectiveness of teacher assistance teams and teacher support teams. Evidence showing the value of adding a monitoring function, subject area consultation, and the authority to allocate resources to these teams is offered. (DB)

The papers presented in this paper accompany a core report about the Appalachian Math Science Partnership (AMSP) entitled "The Appalachian Math Science Partnership: A Multi-State Umbrella Partnership Promoting Local Mathematics and Science Reform Report." Each of them focuses on an especially effective strategy or component of the AMSP…

The development of programming for the gifted in Lincolnshire (England) is traced. A collaborative approach to teaching the gifted is discussed, and current objectives of the Gifted and Able Pupils Support Service are listed. Organizational strategies to enhance services to the gifted are described. (CR)

Describes how one district developed a mentoring program for beginning teachers to reduce the risk of attrition resulting from the hierarchy found in many school systems. The district determined a program mission, goals, and roles and responsibilities. An ongoing program assessment ensures that the program continues to offer valuable help to new…

This book helps school administrators redesign the professional development model to better reflect the relevant issues and realities of today's schools. Using the metaphor of architecture, the book outlines innovative ways to create and implement such a transformation and highlights the rationale behind why these changes are so crucial. It also…

Provides 15 key questions that educators should consider in developing collaborative and inclusive schools. The questions are organized into three categories: general and philosophical questions pertaining to inclusion, questions about the basic mechanics of developing inclusion programs, and questions about the practical implementation of…

Literacy coaching is a very hot topic (Cassidy & Cassidy, 2007) that has been spurred on by two opposite belief systems. On one hand, the Reading First schools can receive federal funding to hire coaches to raise test scores. This has led some teachers to characterize coaches as "test-prep enforcers." On the other hand, Bean, Swan…

The Appalachian Math Science Partnership (AMSP) is a project within NSF's (National Science Foundation's) Math Science Partnerships (MSP) initiative. Funded at $23 million over five years, the AMSP involved 51 school districts and nine higher education institutions in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. The AMSP faced two significant challenges in…

This is the fourth of a series of papers exploring the potential influence of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards propositions, standards, and processes on the development of advanced master's programs for teachers. It makes the case that collaboration is at the heart of accomplished teaching, and hence, of critical interest to both…

Staff development in cooperative learning must focus on three stages of staff development (pre-training, training, and post-training) to achieve at least five purposes. The five purposes are: creating conditions for successful staff development prior to training; conducting high-quality training sessions that result in mastery of the conceptual…