Cross-sector collaborations can generate the resources and political will necessary to tackle urgent, complex issues. Because these partnerships involve local leaders, they are typically responsive to their surrounding communities, addressing local concerns, and capitalizing upon local assets. These strengths-oriented, locally driven…

For many years people have discussed the research-to-practice gap in education. Recently, increased attention has been devoted to creating opportunities for practitioners and researchers to engage in highly collaborative partnerships from design to implementation to dissemination (e.g., Institute for Education Sciences, 2016). In this article, we…

Communication is the process by which all the pieces of the living world find their relationships to the other pieces to form larger wholes and to enable the living world to grow, adapt, and survive. This article explores cooperation, as it refers to the matter of sharing communication in groups. (CB)

This book is intended to assist group leaders, teachers, counselors, and peer helpers in the development of relationships and active learning. The first chapter, "Icebreakers," begins with an overview that explains the nature, purpose, and importance of these activities. Icebreakers are used to help group members learn about each other in a…

Specific uses and outcomes of studies conducted with the Inventory of Individually Perceived Group Cohesiveness (IIPGC) are described. This document serves as a supplementary guide to field studies and normative data obtained in reference to the IIPGC. The Inventory of Individually Perceived Group Cohesiveness is a self-report measure of an…

Over the past decade, many university-based administrator-preparation programs have evolved into curricula delivered through cohorts of about 20 to 25 students. However, little evidence exists about the long-term effect of cohort experience on aspiring principals' future professional practice. Anecdotal evidence suggests that students in cohorts…

The Inventory of Individually Perceived Group Cohesiveness (IIPGC) is a self-report measure of an individual's perception of group cohesiveness, which is defined as the perceived degree, extent, or strength of mutual attention given by the membership to processes of cooperation, control, and task communication. The IIPGC provides a reliable…

The purposes of this paper are to focus on the property of group cohesiveness as a positive force affecting students' cognitive and personal growth, and to draw some implications from the research on cohesiveness for teachers who employ open classroom techniques. A bibliography is included. (Author/MLF)

The School Effectiveness Training Program (SET) and the Secondary School Development Program (SSDP) were school-improvement programs developed by the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), a state teachers' organization, and Research for Better Schools (RBS), a regional educational laboratory. Coordinating councils played pivotal roles in both…

Four dimensions that must be present for a group to function effectively are elaborated in this guide: (1) commitment of members to a common purpose; (2) leadership that facilitates organization and structuring to accomplish these purposes; (3) open communication among members; and (4) a climate of acceptance and trust. Defining a group as any…

Site-based management is a concept whose time has come. This book was designed to introduce the concept of teaming, elaborate the decision-making process, and describe the skills and processes needed for a variety of decision-making situations. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of teaming and discusses the decision-making process in depth. Chapters…

In Israeli school culture, the school class is a social group in which "gibush" or cohesion is cultivated. A highly cohesive class has clearly demarcated boundaries, has high integration, is internally undifferentiated, and presupposes particular conditions for formation. The gibush model reflects an ideal of communal participation and…

Focusing on teacher teams and their use as a lever for change, the author examines the importance of teachers becoming knowledgeable, skilled, and increasingly articulate about their leadership and participation so that they may take their rightful place in the school reform movement. Ten chapters focus on teams sponsored by the Rockefeller…

This paper explores the theoretical and research contributions of many authors concerning group status and intergroup relations. Highlighted are: (1) Coleman's insights on the classroom reward structure; (2) Pettigrew's principles for successful ethnic contact; (3) Sherif's experimental work on the reduction of intergroup hostility through the…

Employs observations and interviews to explore ways four basketball teams used players' bodies to create a plural self, transforming individuals into interconnected, deindividualized members. Raises the possibility that for many athletes this temporarily realized plural self continues as a possible self and invites the development of certain…