The word "teamwork" has become a favorite of corporate leaders; however, many employees view "teamwork" as a word devoid of meaning. Part of the problem is that "teamwork" has an entirely different meaning to people at various levels in an organization, and this prevents individuals and different departments within a company from moving forward…

This practicum was designed to increase the level of teacher awareness of the concept of empowerment at an elementary school in the rural Southeast. A 12-week program was developed and implemented to train the school's 32 teachers in team building, conflict resolution, communication skills, team dynamics, and facilitative leadership. Weekly…

This report describes the Teacher Work Group Project to help teachers of students with severe disabilities learn about new teaching practices and implement them in the classroom. Teacher Work Groups (TWGs) were formed at week-long summer institutes and the groups subsequently met during the school year to apply the strategies and learning in the…

This practicum developed and implemented an organization development plan to improve agency and team effectiveness and staff satisfaction at a private agency that provides educational and treatment services to children with emotional, mental, or behavioral disorders. An extensive literature review on organizational development was conducted and…

"Whose Problem Is It" is a workshop for middle level students that encourages their participation, input, and ownership in accomplishing change in the middle level school policies, program and procedure. The workshop revolves around making the school environment a happy, healthy, and productive place for learning. It consists of…

This manual presents the trainee's workbook and the trainer's guidelines for the fifth of six modules in a teacher inservice series developed to promote the unified effort of both regular and special education personnel in understanding and applying nationally recognized practices to implement fully inclusive education for students with diverse…

A primary goal of the quality movement, like the traditional management techniques that preceded it, is to get the most committed effort possible from the members of the organization. This document surveys the literature in order to summarize the substantial debate on how to achieve that goal, and then offers a theoretical context of strategic…

A program was implemented for improving student's motivation in order to increase their performance and self-esteem. The targeted population consisted of primary grade students in middle-class communities within the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Analysis of probable cause data revealed students' lack of skills related to organization,…

New managerial techniques such as total quality management and similar worker participation programs are an important albeit controversial component of the recent changes in the workplace brought about by increasing globalization of the economy. In addition, organized labor is faced with a changing and increasingly diverse population of new…

Fifty small businesses and organizations within an 800-mile radius of southern Illinois were surveyed to determine what businesses consider the most important characteristics of a team player; 94 percent responded. These characteristics were incorporated into a course during which teams of students were to complete a project that involved each…

The Long Island Team is a collaborative system of K-12 students and teachers, university students and faculty, and community members who have been linked by telecommunications and in-person sessions. Since 1993 the group has culminated their work together at an annual sharing event. This paper provides the history of the learning community, a list…

The School Development Program (SDP), initiated 25 years ago by Dr. James Comer, is described, with focus on the need for knowledge about its child development component and the implications of this lack for program implementation and impact. The SDP program is recognized for its primary focus on child development and human relationships as its…

As school districts move toward collaborative school improvement, reform leaders recognize that most school personnel have had little training or experience working within schools on organized decision making teams. Teachers and staff members are being required to negotiate with each other in the process of making organizational decisions--a new…

This book argues that all school efforts should be focused on results. It elaborates on the simple conditions that favor results, briefly discusses the theory behind the conditions, and demonstrates, using examples from schools, how other schools can begin to successfully replicate the conditions. Following the introduction, chapters 1-3 describe…

Many school districts and schools find that they have an incomplete understanding of site-based management (SBM). This guidebook provides a systemwide approach to site-based management, using SBM as a strategy for school improvement and increased student success rather than for managing the status quo. It identifies nine essential perspectives and…