Reports on a one-year examination of two urban teacher study groups. Data from participant observations and journal notes indicated that there were five themes: tensions about knowledge, alliance with traditional professional development structures, ways of working with one another, understanding the educational needs of English language learners,…

Focuses on the project "Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age: Reconceptualizing the Introductory Survey Course" that facilitates collaboration among faculty from two- and four-year colleges in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Southern California in creating and disseminating active learning materials for use in World and U.S. history…

This article discusses strategies for increasing general education teacher participation in Individualized Education Program (IEP) development, in the following areas: team connection issues, time issues, preparation issues, training issues, and IEP relevance issues. A sample IEP meeting agenda is provided, along with results from an IEP…

This article links standards-based goals and objectives to district standards using three cornerstones: the development of one belief system, a common understanding of the district's standards, and the development of a working relationship with general education. A district-wide model project of accountability for students with disabilities is…

This commentary on a previous article (Odom 1999) that investigated 16 inclusive programs in 4 regional U.S. locations notes the omission of environments other than classrooms in the study, such as home settings and family day care settings. The absence of specific characteristics of the programs described is also criticized. (Contains seven…

This commentary on a previous article (Odom 1999) that investigated 16 inclusive programs in 4 regional U.S. locations notes the omission of information about the quality of services, providers' perspectives, the extent to which what practitioners say corresponds with classroom practice, and range of special services delivered. (CR)

This paper reviews the literature on the implementation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process, using a framework based on phases of evolution of the IEP process. It identifies issues such as the importance of training for all IEP process participants, especially parents and regular teachers, and the development of team decision…

Drawing on 5 years' experience with collaborative activities, examines school leadership's role in creating and supporting an appropriate ambience for collaborative inquiry among teachers. Leaders can become participant-learners who contribute to a collective understanding of this practice. Learning together furnishes a sturdy scaffold for further…

Explores the school-to-adult life transitions of special needs students in inclusive schools, investigating collaborative activities to facilitate transition. Profiles of three urban and rural high schools derived from administrator, teacher, parent, and student reports highlight consistent patterns in levels of collaboration exercised in working…

Drawing on a study of an experimental teacher education program, the paper recommends changes that prepare new teachers to assume greater leadership responsibility, particularly for collaborative curriculum design and implementation. Teacher educators must model these practices in teacher education coursework. A pedagogy of collective action…

Explores the interconnection between academic historians and the schools. Discusses the efforts of the Teaching Division of the American Historical Association, the barriers between academics and working teachers, and two recommendations to achieve progress in this area (collaborative professional development and addressing educational issues of…

Interviewed cooperating teachers to determine how they defined successful student teaching experiences and what they believed could enhance their success as mentors. Results highlighted the importance of mutual learning relationships and the need for greater support and collaboration from university faculty. Unsuccessful experiences resulted from…

Examines the context and organization of Norway's teacher education, discussing teacher roles and responsibilities, preservice and inservice teacher education programs, and society's expectations that teachers will act as masters, mentors, and mothers. The paper describes recent curriculum developments and the organization of Norway's educational…

This article reports on a collaborative program at the University of Wisconsin among secondary level science, mathematics, and special educators. The program emphasizes coordinated courses and fieldwork experiences to students across disciplines delivered by an interdisciplinary cohort of instructors. Evaluation of program outcomes finds increased…

Describes a professional-development project designed to establish a community of learners among high school teachers. Diverse English and history teachers met twice monthly for two-and-a-half years to read and discuss fiction and history, develop an interdisciplinary humanities curriculum, and videotape and view classroom instruction. Teachers at…