E.A. Johnson High School is located in Mt. Morris, Michigan, near Flint, where the city has felt deeply the impact of the area's economic decline. 72% of the student population qualify for free and reduced lunch. The staff was willing to make the changes necessary for success, but needed more than a book study. Many of the structures for…

One goal of e-learning is to enhance the interoperability and reusability of learning resources. However, current e-learning systems do little to adequately support this. In order to achieve this aim, the first step is to consider how to assist instructors in re-organizing the existing learning objects. However, when instructors are dealing with a…

In this article, we describe our innovative work as teacher educators to integrate coursework for alternatively certified teachers. Rather than maintain boundaries among individual courses for new elementary teachers, explicit connections support first-year teachers professional learning and aid in the immediate application to classroom practice.…

As both Friedman (2007) and Wagner (2008) have eloquently emphasized in recent years, children need to learn more complex material in preparation for further education and work in the twenty-first century. Teachers, therefore, must learn instructional approaches that develop the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in an increasingly…

For the past 35 years, researchers examining the factors that contribute to student achievement have identified teacher self-efficacy (a teacher's belief that they have the ability to influence student achievement) as one contributing characteristic. Bandura's theory of self-efficacy has been applied to a wealth of research looking at the early…

The purpose of this study was to analyze human resource allocation data for all elementary schools in large urban school district to determine whether resources were allocated in ways in that research suggests can lead to improved student achievement. Data from all 46 elementary schools that participated in the study were compared to the…

As a result of the district program evaluation, a follow up on teacher perceptions of an online collaboration versus face to face collaboration approach was deemed necessary. The interviews were conducted with eight teachers from a suburban southwest K-8 public school district. After all teachers had participated in a 10 week program evaluation…

This study approaches the problem of African American mathematics achievement from a strength-based perspective, identifying practices implemented by middle school principals successful in increasing and sustaining the mathematics achievement of African American students. The study was designed to answer questions regarding both school-wide…

In typical school settings, teachers are not afforded the opportunity to observe the instructional practices of their peers. Time constraints, opportunity, and willingness to participate in observational practices are just three of the factors that may limit teachers' engagement in this type of activity. To provide teachers with opportunities to…

Co-teaching is a widely implemented instructional strategy that poses unique challenges to teachers and may require targeted training. This study considers the role of pre-service and in-service professional development opportunities regarding co-teaching and teacher confidence, interests, and attitudes regarding co-teaching in a sample of general…

One has heard it before: time is money, especially when it comes to adding time for instruction to the school day. When budgets are tight and relief is nowhere in sight, how can schools afford to implement a reform as costly as adding instructional time? It's a daunting task, yet current federal educational priorities tied to federal funding…

Co-teaching, the collaboration between a general education teacher and a special education teacher, is an option that is being perceived by many educators as the means to ensure that special education students have access to the same curriculum as their non-disabled peers as well as the specialized instructional strategies necessary to nurture…

Lesson study, a teaching and learning strategy used in Japan, is a new area of consideration for teacher professional development in the United States. An important component of the lesson study process is the role of the facilitator. The intent of this study was to investigate the role of the facilitator in the lesson study process relative to…

This qualitative study investigated how teachers' and administrators' attitudes and perceptions about collaborative teaching affect the practice of inclusion. The study is based on the theory that attitudes and perceptions of those involved in the practice of education are critical to its success. The research questions were open-ended questions…

In this commentary, the author aims to pull together the threads in the conversation between multicultural and special teacher educators surrounding issues of collaboration, as reflected in this issue. She begins with a brief discussion of collaborative teacher education--a central concept to the dialogue--and then comments on why she thinks such…