This document presents a set of principles for effective professional development and a series of practical suggestions to help schools and school districts implement these principles. The document also profiles several Indiana schools and programs that exemplify the type of school-based approach to professional development that is so promising.…

This study examined the Model Education Center (MEC) Professional Development School (PDS), formed by San Diego State University and a nearby school district in 1984. The study investigated whether core beliefs embedded in the PDS had a lasting effect on the teachers it graduated. Participants included teachers at three target schools; teachers…

This study examines how content-area teachers view the needs of L2 learners in their classroom. It addresses simple collaboration strategies for ELL and content-area teachers to use to help adolescent L2 students in both the resource and rotary classroom. Socio-cultural curriculum resources are cited with the appendices. (Contains 7 tables.)

Special and general education faculty articulate issues and concerns regarding inclusive education within the fields of hearing loss, learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, severe disabilities, and visual impairments. Reflections from a general educator follow. The need for adequate classroom supports and increased collaboration in…

This study explored, through phenomenological interviewing, the impact of a semester-long collaborative professional development course on the perceptions and practices of four teachers in relation to their supervisory roles. Results indicated that the teachers valued work that was self-directed, considered their expressed needs, and let them…

Describes preservice teacher education reform efforts at California State University San Marcos via program development and curricular design innovation. Beginning faculty worked on creating a middle level teacher education program informed by critiques of teacher education, visions for restructured middle schooling, and institutional realities.…

This study investigated middle school organizational patterns and their impact on teachers' efficacy and perceptions of the working environment. Analysis of survey responses by 81 eighth grade teachers indicated that teachers on interdisciplinary teams with common planning time were significantly more positive than were teachers on…

One of five articles in the second section, "Deepening Relationships through PDS Brings Change in Practice," this article describes a collaborative research project between a middle school mathematics teacher and a university mathematics professor. (SM)

Interviews and observations of an exemplary special education teacher produced a model of effective special education teaching in an inclusive rural elementary school. Using efficacy as a foundation, the special educator begins by promoting teacher collaboration, enabling regular and special educators to mentor and advocate for each other. A…

A Scottish council commissioned a study to inform development of policy concerning ability grouping, timetabling, and other practices related to the transition from primary to secondary schooling. Although the researchers became aware that the council expected a report supportive of their policies, the data supported the view that the key to…

The School Improvement Grants Program is a British Columbia-based action research project to support efforts to raise literacy and math skills in public schools serving low-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. The program--which provides $25,000 in planning and implementation grants for each participating school over 2.5 years--began in 2001 and…

In this study, the authors explore potential relationships between trust and collaboration at both the school and individual levels of analysis. The study design focuses on a set of ostensibly reciprocal relationships between trust and collaboration. The database for the study is composed of self-reports of elementary and middle school teachers in…

The hallmark of inclusive education is the teachers' willingness to accept students with special needs. Their attitudes and knowledge about inclusive education are important as these are indicators of such willingness. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' attitudes and their perceived knowledge towards inclusive education in…

The authors examine the developmental process by which a reclaiming environment was created in an alternative program for students designated emotionally disturbed. Efforts to identify the impetus for change, specific actions, and the ongoing evolution of the program's philosophy are discussed. The current environment is examined in the following…

One of the greatest challenges that general education teachers face is how to address the educational needs of an increasingly diverse student population. Perhaps what is most disturbing about this challenge is that many general education teachers seem unprepared to face it. Researchers investigating inclusive classrooms have found that general…