Educators often overlook the largest body of evidence of student performance: student work. With careful and deliberate examination of various sources of student work, teachers can gather a wealth of information about student achievement and about their own instructional practices. Examining student work is not about grading or scoring papers. It…

The term "paired careers" refers to career arrangements wherein two or more individuals bind their professional trajectories together over time. Pairs are distinguished along two dimensions: their genesis (from a task-based or an affection-based relationship) and the roles performed by the partners (complementary or interchangeable).…

Resource-oriented organizational mechanisms focus specifically on ensuring the appropriate use of existing resources and enhancing efforts to address barriers to student learning. This report first explores such mechanisms at the school level, then in terms of a feeder pattern, and finally at the district level. We stress the fact that what we…

These two manuals provide instructors and participants with a curriculum designed to facilitate collaborative and constructive relationships among teachers and special educators as they direct the work of paraeducators in the delivery of services to students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. The course is intended to require approximately…

This resource kit includes the following: Executive Summary; Legal Fact Sheet; Resource Guide; 26-minute "I Can Soar" Videotape; Video User's Guide; and Stories of Students Featured in Video. The materials provide tips to hep guide consumers in better integrating assistive technology (AT) within effective programs and services for children with…

This report on Community Vision, Inc. is part of a series documenting innovative supports for community living for adults with severe disabilities. Community Vision was created as an alternative to facility-based services in Oregon that would intentionally focus on providing inclusive community living for those with the most severe disabilities…

The Instructional Support Team (IST) process is an intensive building-based pre-referral intervention program using teams of teachers and other school professionals to assist elementary students experiencing difficulty in the classroom. This trainer's manual outlines a 3-day workshop for team training. The schedule for each day is provided, with a…

This guide outlines the key elements of a full time equivalent (FTE) instructional support model, and provides suggestions for its effective implementation. Support teachers in the Instructional Support Team (IST) Program perform a variety of functions, including conducting instructional assessments, classroom observations, data collection,…

This guide is intended to help Ohio educators and parents involved in the transition of students with disabilities into the work place and community. It begins with some questions which may help to determine the student's own desires in the areas of employment, living skills, and community. Next, suggestions are provided to help the transition…

Building of character and promoting positive behavior is an important part of every afterschool program. Besides the basics of homework help and physical fitness activities, afterschool programs are using teamwork exercises, service learning, volunteerism and other activities to teach kids about making the right decisions that will help them…

Students who are well prepared academically and highly motivated tend to do well in college and persist to graduation. But for various reasons--some of which are beyond their control-- many students lack the requisite academic background for college-level work. As a result, most colleges and universities enroll students with a wide range of…

This publication describes the school-improvement process in three schools participating in Middle Start, a comprehensive school-improvement program for schools with middle grades. Middle Start services, grounded in the Middle Start Principles and Practices, are tailored to a school's specific needs. The schools profiled are Bendle Middle School…

The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program at Rota High School in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which includes over half of the school's students, develops teamwork and helps students excel in academics. Students are instilled with discipline, motivation, pride, and a sense of integrity, trust, and belonging. The…

This book aims to introduce teachers and other educational practitioners to the concepts, operating principles, and teaching strategies of the adventure in the classroom (AITC) model. Adventure involves more than equipment, risk taking, or the outdoors. Adventure is a matter of significance, support, stimulation, and satisfaction--characteristics…

This chapter from a North Dakota guide for early childhood special education personnel focuses on program planning for young children with special needs. Following an introduction, the first section presents the North Dakota program guidelines, including eligibility of students, an explanation of the approval of services process, a description of…