School board conflict and controversy can negatively impact the board's function, the school district, and the community. Using the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) framework, this action research study sought to investigate how the implementation of interprofessional collaborative practices could improve the board's response to…

Teacher well-being has many implications within schools, most importantly on students. However, little research has been done to investigate the impact various mandates have on the well-being of teachers. This qualitative study gained insight into how elementary school teachers in Connecticut perceived the impact of teacher evaluation on their…

Both applied behavior analysis (ABA) professionals and occupational therapy (OT) professionals have vital roles on interprofessional teams serving autistic individuals and other developmental challenges. Existing literature highlights that biases and misconceptions regarding each other's practice methods may discourage collaboration among ABA and…

The Connecticut Center for School Change has been working for several years to provide timely, effective, research-based coaching to principals, particularly those who are new to their role in relatively low-performing schools and districts. The Center has been studying their efforts with the help of an expert external evaluator, and the Center…

Several medical schools have recently described new innovations in interprofessional interactions in gross anatomy courses. The Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT has developed and implemented two contrasting interprofessional experiences in first-year medical student gross anatomy dissection laboratories:…

Disability service (DS) offices today need to be resourceful, creative, and forward-thinking in order to meet the needs of college students with disabilities. A key strategy to meeting these needs is to develop relationships with colleagues across the campus, in both Student and Academic Affairs (Whitt et al. 2008). The Center for Students with…

Teachers need to be taught how to collaborate. When the Stamford (Conn.) Public Schools introduced PLCs in the district's 20 schools, they learned of the four roles that districts play when implementing PLCs systemwide: 1) Districts must involve teachers and administrators in developing and leading the PLC process, 2) they must teach…

Public schools must be the catalyst for achieving equity in education. Real equity is not simply achieving equality or about ensuring that everyone gets the same resources and receives the same instruction. Equity is about ensuring that all students get what they need to be successful. Fairness is not providing the same resources, instruction, and…

In this article, the author describes his work with a professional network in Connecticut. The Connecticut Superintendents Network is designed to be a community of practice among superintendents who are committed to sustained instructional improvement in their districts. Here, the Harvard University professor applies the medical rounds model to…

A first-year interest group (FIG) is a learning community using course clusters. An effective model of FIGs and an innovative faculty development process are briefly described. Evaluation results found that University of Hartford FIGs improved student learning, improved curricular integration, fostered student community, and promoted faculty…

This document contains a report describing a collaborative initiative involving the regional office and two sub-offices of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) and four Head Start programs in northwest Connecticut that resulted in positive outcomes for children and families, agency staff, and their communities. Also included…

These teacher training materials derive from a personnel preparation special project that developed, implemented, and evaluated a teaching model on collaborations necessary for effective delivery of early intervention. The first module on collaboration provides information on the rationale for collaboration and the benefits and drawbacks of…

Two Connecticut programs designed to support beginning teachers, the Beginning Educator Support and Training Program (BEST) and the Cooperating Teacher Program (CT), are grounded in the collaborative leadership concept. A working partnership between principals and mentor teachers shares responsibility with a state assessment team to support and…

These training materials derive from a personnel preparation special project that developed, implemented, and evaluated a teaching model on collaborations necessary for effective delivery of early intervention. Module 1 provides an overview of the history of early intervention and the legal statutes that define early intervention. Module 2…

This guide was developed as part of a project to provide practicing physicians with training to enhance their understanding of and involvement with early intervention and the special education system in Connecticut. The introductory section notes that best practices in both primary medical care and early intervention promote care that is family…