Describes a needs assessment project that included the development and implementation of two distinctive features to aid in performance improvement: a pre-assessment planning process to educate clients about the analysis process and establish an outcomes-oriented strategic focus; and a theory-to-practice process to analyze team performance issues…

Reports accomplishments of teachers who overcame obstacles to create innovative learning opportunities using electronic technologies. Summarizes findings of a research project conducted by Department of Defense Education Activity schools with teachers who worked in small teams to plan, implement, and evaluate innovative practices and used Vanguard…

Considers that to prepare students to thrive in a group project environment, educators need to teach them effective teamwork and communication skills. Describes two tools that can help accomplish this task, the electronic discussion board and the chat room. Concludes that these tools can be a tremendous aid for faculty to address group project…

This article presents a detailed example of how faculty and staff at one middle school implemented team-based functional behavioral assessment (FBA) planning procedures with a student exhibiting recurring minor problems. Insets list tasks and considerations for an FBA, a sample formatted antecedent-behavior-consequence summary of team member…

Describes transfer principles to apply in student group projects that prepare them for teamwork: motivation, practice/feedback, follow-up, similarities between learning situation and applied context, and generalization. Addresses team effectiveness skills and implications for classroom application. (Contains 39 references.) (SK)

A participant-observation study in a South African mining company that used self directed work team training identified organizational constraints that hindered training effectiveness: lack of materials, machinery breakdown, decentralized budget, and imposed standards. Miners more often used improvisation and initiative to solve daily problems,…

Describes five skills the Transforming School Counseling Initiative believes will equip today's school counselors to become leaders in educational reform and advocates for improving students' academic achievement. Six scenarios, which show how counselors can put these skills into practice, address such issues as teaming and collaboration,…

Describes a study that investigated the use of computer conferencing and face-to-face communications to support the work of student teams in a systems analysis project. Compares differences in decision quality, teams' confidence in the group decision, and teams' satisfaction with the overall decision process. (Author/LRW)

The partnership program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine in which less experienced students are paired with more experienced students during the last four years of a six-year curriculum was evaluated. Results indicated satisfaction with the program and that most partnerships worked well with improved teamwork being a…

The nation needs a diverse group of well-educated superintendents who strive to balance legitimate special interests with the common good. The single-savior, miracle-worker image must be abandoned because it misconstrues the nature of leadership, stifles action, and breeds dependency among ordinary people whose efforts are essential for improving…

Presents instructional strategies designed to maximize cohesion and minimize conflict in collaborative writing groups. Argues that an understanding of sources of conflict, conflict management strategies, and group processes allows productive and creative group energy to be channeled into effective business writing. (RS)

Examines the frequency of coauthoring. Summarizes the issues confronting coauthors. Argues for the formation of business communication coauthorships within the discipline, interdisciplinary coauthorships, and coauthorships with academia and business. (RS)

A quiet revolution is underway in six North Carolina schools involved in Project Design--an innovative school restructuring process that is developmental, reasonable, professional, and educationally relevant. The voluntary program features multiple changes in the distribution of time, work responsibilities, decision authority, status, students,…

A model for conceptualizing the identification process based on a broad view of the nature of learning disabilities is presented. Four decision-making points in the identification process are highlighted with emphasis on the role of team members at each of the four points. (Author/DB)

Presents a personal review of conditions influencing educational administration's well-being in developing countries. Discusses some forgotten influences, such as myths, external pressures, the selection of appropriate policies and strategies, personnel and training programs, and professional support problems. The greatest sin of commission is…