Researchers and practitioners continue to call for professional learning (PL) for multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to promote implementation with fidelity. Different PL interventions and MTSS frameworks raise questions about what types of PL support educators to engage in key practices. Questions also remain regarding educators' perspectives…

Content-focused practice-based professional development (PBPD) with active learning is one avenue to support teachers in learning new strategies, practices, and programs. This type of professional development moves away from traditional lectures. In this descriptive study, the authors used a pre-post group design to examine the extent to which a…

Revisions to Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) proposed alternative models, such as Response to Intervention (RTI), as a preventive measure that supports students at risk. As teachers' roles evolve in response to RTI, teacher preparation programs must adjust their focus and curriculum accordingly. A mixed-methods…

General education and special education teacher candidates lack experience in collaborating with each other as colleagues; however, upon graduating and entering their own classrooms, most are expected to know how to provide services to students with disabilities in the general classroom. This study describes the efforts of two professors, one in…

This narrative relates personal experiences from the establishment of a professional development school. It discusses the conceptual foundation from which professional development schools (PDS) have emerged, the PDS mission, roles of various participants, and support for the professional education of teachers and for the improvement of practice.…

This paper describes a professional development partnership between Columbia University Teacher College and two New York City schools which adopted a cooperative teaching approach to combat teacher isolation and to enhance the joint preparation of special and regular education students in preservice programs. (Author/DB)

In an effort to better serve the school districts within its service area and the unique credential candidate population, California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) implemented an accelerated alternative certification program based upon the Professional Development School (PDS) model hereinafter referred to as SPED PDS. During the…

The purpose of this paper is to provide an account of changes in student achievement at one urban elementary school involved in an eight-year partnership with a University. The school first became involved with the University through a research project designed to support the school's efforts at restructuring and soon became a full-fledged…

To address calls for restructuring and reform in the mid 1980's, educators proposed joining schools and universities in collaborative partnerships to improve education. Little attention has been given in the educational reform literature, however, to the field of teacher education for teachers of students with blindness or low vision. Reform…

In the present climate of declining resources and increased accountability, partnerships are instrumental in achieving student outcomes. The purpose of this article is to describe an unusual university and district partnership supported through America Reads Challenge and AmeriCorps. The America Reads Challenge was to mobilize an army of reading…

This article describes the efforts of the University of South Florida's Department of Special Education to change its approach to educating special education teachers, by making a total commitment to align its work with public schools in developing a network of Professional Development Schools to reflect a collaborative model of training and…