To establish an effective, collaborative work culture, the school and its members must embrace continuous improvement. Principals can use certain activities and leadership approaches to help establish a productive school culture. One Oklahoma middle-school principal involved faculty in creating a school vision and developing grade-level teaching…

Guidelines for including ventilator-dependent children in school are offered, based on experience with six such students at a New York State school. Guidelines stress adherence to the medical management plan, the school-family partnership, roles of the social worker and psychologist, orientation, transportation, classroom issues, and steps toward…

Discussion of equipment problems in libraries resulting from new technology, budget cuts, and loss of staff focuses on experiences at Alfred University (New York) where a team approach was developed to improve patron service, keep appropriate records, include student assistants, and improve organization. (LRW)

For successful school reform, educators must think differently about the purpose of schools and educational delivery, and redesign infrastructures built on shared values and beliefs, multiple interacting linkages, and teamwork. School leaders are catalysts for change and, working with the school's power agents and modeling expected behaviors,…

Describes the benefits of "topic teamwork," an interdisciplinary model designed to make integrative teaching a well-structured, cooperative effort involving all teachers and students. The article presents examples of and strategies for integrating physical education with other subject areas and for assessing topic teamwork, concluding that topic…

This article discusses effective preassessment team procedures for identifying students with special needs, including collecting comprehensive information about the student, documenting the student's problems, developing specific and detailed intervention plans, identifying support personnel to help implement the intervention plan, and…

This article describes the development of collaborative partnership throughout the first year of a primary grade team including a classroom teacher, a graduate student providing special education services, and a university coordinator. It describes how collaboration allowed team members to meet the individual needs of children with learning…

Presents five group problem-solving initiatives for use in adventure and experiential settings, focusing on conflict resolution, corporate workplace issues, or adjustment to change. Includes target group, group size, time and space needs, activity level, overview, goals, props, instructions, and suggestions for framing and debriefing the…

Effective followership (mirroring a leader's mission) involves several strategies: concentrating on becoming a team player, demonstrating a strong work ethic, adhering to high individual expectations and possessing high self-regard, projecting optimism, and practicing interpersonal intelligence. (MLH)

A model to improve access to college especially for students with disabilities includes these steps: (1) establishing an interagency support team; (2) orienting students and parents; (3) facilitating person-centered planning; (4) creating and implementing an array of services and supports; and (5) evaluating effectiveness. Barriers such as…

This article describes the stages of an assistive technology (AT) assessment process and use of an Assistive Technology Referral Format for use with students who have disabilities. Emphasis is on assisting teams to identify AT objectives within the student's present skills and curriculum and plan for the appropriate use of AT. The relevant forms…

Examines how data generated from a planned intervention facilitated a redesign of work teams in one state's public welfare agency. Major results of the intervention show improved client services and higher staff morale. Concludes that students and practitioners preparing for careers in human services can benefit from a review of the strategies…

A study involving 101 parents of children with disabilities, 199 educators, and 125 investigators found respondents had a cursory awareness of how to respond to the maltreatment of children with disabilities and were receptive to becoming more effective partners by attending training to bridge the knowledge gaps they possess. (Contains…

Discusses worldwide Web-based training (WBT) and cautions that WBT is not good for all training goals, not all audiences are technically prepared, and not all organizational cultures are ready. Describes a variety of WBT delivery methods and recommends a cross-functional international team to design and implement international WBT. (LRW)

Asserts that successful teaming requires training, practice, and support structures and that it often comes unaccompanied by training or instructions. Presents a conceptual model of the factors that affect team performance, and describes the three categories of the framework, their usefulness, and examples of pertinent studies within each…