Describes a college-level introductory integrated science course for non-science majors, called "The Natural World: Explorations in Science," that was laboratory-based, exploratory, and writing intensive, and that was team taught by four teachers from different fields. Discusses elements that make such interdisciplinary teaching possible and the…

Profiles a Milford, Connecticut, middle school's efforts to help Eric Kowalchick, a developmentally disabled adolescent, develop life skills and friendships, prepare for work, pursue school and community club memberships, and attend high school classes. The school's mainstreaming program is a success, thanks to an institutional mission understood…

This study evaluated the Collaborative Instruction Model in four secondary classes that included students with mild disabilities and low achievement. Measures included instructional actions of teachers, student engagement, student use of strategic skills, and student performance on content tests. Mixed results on student measures suggested the…

School support teams--external groups of teachers, pupil services personnel, and reform experts--assist schools as they plan, implement, and improve their schoolwide Title I programs. Team members of the Texas School Support Initiative, begun as a 1994-95 pilot project involving 12 schools, learned the value of building trust, starting with…

In 1973, the founding administrator of a Long Island high school proposed adoption of a student advisory system, team teaching in the humanities, and no academic department chairs. Convinced that having chairs diminished teachers' stature, this principal successfully encouraged teachers to work together to develop curriculum, prepare budgets, hire…

Describes a University of Alabama program that trained a cadre of elementary teachers to use various manipulatives in their daily mathematics programs. These teachers received a set of manipulatives to share with others and were expected to conduct inservice programs for colleagues. The program increased use of manipulative materials and revealed…

This response to a paper on teacher communication in cases of dual enrollment of preschool children in both early intervention and day care stresses the need for formal mechanisms to ensure collaborative planning and ongoing communication among the multiple adults involved in the child's day. (DB)

Examines values that seven secondary geometry teachers placed on their participation in a school-based study group and the organizational structure and the impact of that structure on teachers' continued participation in the study group. Shows that the teachers were supported in building community and relationships, making connections across…

Describes the development of an eight-week on-campus, Web-based online course at Indiana University Bloomington for incoming freshmen to introduce them to the university's culture. Discusses course structure, design, collaboration among instructional and technology units, course assessment, and student opinions of the course. (LRW)

Survey of 125 educational professionals working with culturally and linguistically diverse and exceptional (CLDE) students in the Washington D.C. area found that most had the training and skills to work with CLDE students. However, respondents did not know the roles, responsibilities, and practices of other professionals working with CLDE students…

A primary school community in Nottingham, England, has built a social system (via extensive orientation, parent teaching assistants, and multiple school assemblies) in which staff, parents, and students share responsibility for children's academic, social, and personal development. Holistic learning is encouraged by an integrated curriculum,…

Explores how teacher collaboration can be expanded to include curriculum considerations. Describes a curriculum-centered collaboration process by which teachers can work together to solve specific classroom problems. Provides vignettes to illustrate each phase of the process. Also addresses curriculum-centered collaboration for broad-based…

Discusses several real-world cases of teachers who took the lead in working cooperatively with others to create learning opportunities. Describes changes needed in administration and teacher education. (RS)

Recounts a teacher's initiation into the process of documentation over several weeks as she joined toddlers on a "fishing trip." Draws on Piagetian and Vygotskian theories to understand and enhance children's play. Discusses how documentation is used to communicate and converse with children and offers teachers opportunities to…

Considers how the new infusion of technology into school systems provides the education culture the opportunity to reflect on its protocols and practices. Topics include teaching methods; teacher collaboration and attempts at a systemic approach; and information technology support from people with technology backgrounds rather than education…