One of four articles in the third section, "Reflection: What We Have Learned," this article describes the development of the collaborative between Indiana University Northwest and three urban school districts in Indiana (East Chicago, Gary, and Hammond). This collaborative became the Urban Teacher Education Program and has been operating…

This article describes how the Clark County School District in Las Vegas was reorganized to provide a greater emphasis on site-based management and a responsive centralized support system. Central to the reorganization was the development of a single division to support students with special needs. Barriers to collaboration are discussed. (CR)

Describes collaborative project between an art specialist and kindergarten teacher to develop take-home art appreciation kits for kindergartners. Discusses benefits of the collaboration for teachers, children, and families. Focuses on aesthetic inquiry approach to the art kits to develop inquiry and critical thinking skills. Describes the kits'…

Discussion of the changing role of the speech-language pathologist in the schools notes trends toward collaborative service-delivery models in place of traditional "pull-out" approaches. A case example illustrates how speech-language services can be implemented within a collaborative framework. (Author/DB)

A survey of nine special educators and nine general educators in three Texas schools found that inclusion for students with emotional/behavioral disorders was being implemented due to administrative impetus and was not carefully planned, and that both special- and general-education teachers believe they need training related to inclusion and…

This ethnographic study examined one inclusive early-childhood setting over four weeks. Observations indicated that children with special needs regularly imitated behaviors, words, and skills of typically developing peers, more advanced peers with special needs, and teachers. Individualized interventions were regularly conducted within general…

Describes a collaborative effort between an urban high school and a university that focused on creating and supporting substantive and institutionalized changes in physical and health education at the school, which could then be used as a professional-development school site for preparing prospective physical-education teachers. Stories from the…

Driftwood Public School, a K-5 school in Toronto (Canada) with high percentages of immigrant and limited-English-speaking students, has exceeded both provincial and district averages on tests in reading, writing, and math. Success followed an intensive schoolwide effort focusing on high expectations, collaboration within grade-teams of teachers,…

Finds the most effective schools and teachers to be distinguished from moderately and less effective schools by the following: time spent in small-group reading instruction, with much teacher collaboration; coaching children in strategies to figure out unknown words as part of phonics instruction; higher-level comprehension questions; more…

A series of workshops focusing on improving science and social-studies instruction was designed by student teachers from Oakland University and classroom teachers from a Detroit-area school district. This article discusses how this professional-development design exemplifies research findings and contributed to participants' professional growth.…

Describes the Integrated Secondary Teacher Education Program (I-STEP), offered at Northern Arizona University, which educates teachers for middle school careers. Describes program features: (1) integration; (2) field experience; (3) inquiry and problem--based learning; (4) intense collaboration; and (5) alternative student assessment models. (KB)

Investigated sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction of university and public school participants in a middle school Professional Development School (PDS). Participants from collaborative inquiry groups completed questionnaires at the end of their first PDS year. Satisfaction outweighed dissatisfaction, with members of co-led groups more…

A national survey of 1,000 secondary school special educators servicing students with mild disabilities yielded 407 responses. Results found that the teachers interacted frequently with general and special educators to share information and infrequently with community service providers. They perceived themselves to have an average to above average…

Examined preservice general educators' self-perceived levels of competence to participate in school- and community-based collaboration activities designed to enhance the education of diverse student populations. Surveys indicated that, overall, they perceived themselves to have less than average knowledge and skill for most competencies necessary…

One way to develop well-qualified future teachers is to utilize the pool of exemplary veteran teachers. Teachers who can balance high expectations with competent, caring attitudes that prevent alienation of students have much to offer their colleagues. Higher educators can provide the scaffolding to support veteran teachers in public schools so…