Background: Data-based decision making can lead to increased student achievement; however, schools struggle with the implementation of data-based decision making. Professional development in the use of data is therefore urgently needed. However, professional development is often ineffective in terms of improving the knowledge, skills, and attitude…

In this article, we provide a description of a unique model of teaching and learning, developed at an urban professional development school. We focus on an intensive collaboration between members of a high school mathematics department and one university faculty member, who collaborated to raise student test scores and build solidarity as a team.…

The authors pursue three aims in this article. The first is to underscore critical praxis as an especially valuable approach to understanding and enabling teamwork. The second is to offer four dimensions of teamwork--vision, roles, processes, and relationships--as salient areas to interrogate using critical praxis. The third aim is to consider the…

To help alleviate issues of free-riding and conflicts in team projects, this study proposes the systematic incorporation of project management methods to introduce a process-oriented approach to and a critical praxis in team projects. We examined how the systematic use of project management methods influenced students' performance in team…

Describes Statistical Work Analysis Teams (S.W.A.T.), which marry the two factors necessary for successful statistical analysis with the personal nature of attribute data into a single effort. Discusses S.W.A.T. project guidelines, implementation of the first S.W.A.T. projects, team training, and project completion. (CT)

With the continuing shift toward more decentralized, team-based work structures, efforts to improve quality are often linked to efforts to improve productivity. This ongoing restructuring of the workplace has important implications for technical education. Educators need to have an understanding of how and why organizations are pursuing these…

In recent years, interest in teamwork in the workplace has increased noticeably. For technical educators, the implications of this emphasis on employee involvement and cooperation are clear: they should begin developing the requisite skills in their students before they enter the work force. The skill sets that are needed--in effective…

The Strategic Staff Development Plan was implemented at Lansing Community College (LCC), in Michigan. This document describes the goals, implementation activities, and components of staff development at the college. An introduction indicates that the Plan represents over 300 hours of proposed training for LCC faculty, staff, and administrators and…

A review of existing special education training models is presented along with a rationale for preservice training in the transdisciplinary team process. The transdisciplinary process is described, and recommendations for implementation of a transdisciplinary training program in special education teacher preparation are given. (Author/JDD)

The process of implementing cooperative learning techniques in an elementary school in Montgomery County, Maryland, is described. Discussed are: learning techniques used, such as Student Teams Achievement Divisions, Round Table, Think-Pair-Share, and the Trading Game; student and teacher reactions to cooperative learning; teacher recommendations;…

This booklet presents information on school-crisis management, based on the work of a New Haven, Connecticut, regional crisis team that was initially created to address the mental-health needs of school children during the Persian Gulf War. The goals of the regional crisis committee were to develop a school-crisis intervention model, train…

This manual provides guidelines and forms for implementing a planning team approach to support students with emotional and behavioral difficulties in regular education settings, developed as part of a 3-year federally funded project to enhance the capability of 30 Vermont public schools. Following an introduction, a student profile is reviewed…

The Instructional Support Team (IST) process is mandated in all Pennsylvania schools that include any grade from kindergarten through 6. Middle schools that house grade six or below are required to enroll in IST training and ultimately achieve IST validation. In addition to the IST requirement, all secondary schools are required to have a Student…

Teams in an organization are more than cooperative working groups. Advantages of group work, as opposed to individual work, include producing a better end result, providing satisfaction for the individual and the organization, and assisting the organization through coordination and work allocation. Disadvantages of group work include producing a…

These four papers are from a symposium that was facilitated by Larry M. Dooley at the 1995 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD). "Genesis and Continuance of an HRD Academic Program: A Longitudinal Study" (Verna J. Willis, William M. Kahnweiler) reports a study specific to an HRD academic program. Findings are presented…