This report observes three teachers connected with the Coalition of Essential Schools (based at Brown University) who have begun the work of changing their classroom practices. All are experienced teachers who describe themselves as having been good conventional teachers before becoming involved in the Essential Schools effort. They believe that…

This book is designed to help school leaders critically examine what they should expect from students, how they will know when students have achieved those expectations, and how to design and implement instruction to ensure that every student achieves agreed-upon goals. It asserts that leaders are first and foremost teachers. Chapter 1, "Teaching…

This dissertation conducted a study that analyzed the impact of year-long mentorships on the decisions of nine new teachers of students with autism, hearing impairments, moderate retardation, and physical disabilities, to remain in the special education field. Mentors were recommended by principals but volunteered to be part of the support…

Experience shows that mentoring has a positive effect on new teachers' professional lives. Quality induction programs promote greater teacher retention, breaking the cycle of attrition, which saves money for school districts and ensures that teacher shortages do not dictate hiring policy. These benefits are felt most in school districts with…

This publication examines the literature on promising practices in professional development, focusing on the role of effective inservice professional development in successful elementary school reform, promising practices, and results of a survey of educators from the northwest United States. After an introduction, Section 1 discusses "Learning in…

Educators at one Georgia high school identified improved student proficiency in critical thinking as a major school goal. In order to infuse thinking skills instruction across the curriculum, a nine-member interdisciplinary team of teachers worked with a learning consultant for 1 year. Collaboration resulted in the development of a new model for…

Teaming is certainly being pointed to as a strategy to improve learning for at risk students. Whether teaming is actually effective at improving student achievement seems to have mixed findings. Some studies find no significant differences for reading, math, science, and social studies achievement, where others state "evidence abounds suggesting…

Using 1987 Longitudinal Study of American Youth data, this study examined allocation of mathematics and science teachers' subject-area preparation levels across and within a national sample of American secondary schools. The study assessed relationships between average teacher-preparation levels and clientele socioeconomic status, school size, and…

Describes a college-level introductory integrated science course for non-science majors, called "The Natural World: Explorations in Science," that was laboratory-based, exploratory, and writing intensive, and that was team taught by four teachers from different fields. Discusses elements that make such interdisciplinary teaching possible and the…

Profiles a Milford, Connecticut, middle school's efforts to help Eric Kowalchick, a developmentally disabled adolescent, develop life skills and friendships, prepare for work, pursue school and community club memberships, and attend high school classes. The school's mainstreaming program is a success, thanks to an institutional mission understood…

This study evaluated the Collaborative Instruction Model in four secondary classes that included students with mild disabilities and low achievement. Measures included instructional actions of teachers, student engagement, student use of strategic skills, and student performance on content tests. Mixed results on student measures suggested the…

School support teams--external groups of teachers, pupil services personnel, and reform experts--assist schools as they plan, implement, and improve their schoolwide Title I programs. Team members of the Texas School Support Initiative, begun as a 1994-95 pilot project involving 12 schools, learned the value of building trust, starting with…

In 1973, the founding administrator of a Long Island high school proposed adoption of a student advisory system, team teaching in the humanities, and no academic department chairs. Convinced that having chairs diminished teachers' stature, this principal successfully encouraged teachers to work together to develop curriculum, prepare budgets, hire…

Describes a University of Alabama program that trained a cadre of elementary teachers to use various manipulatives in their daily mathematics programs. These teachers received a set of manipulatives to share with others and were expected to conduct inservice programs for colleagues. The program increased use of manipulative materials and revealed…

This response to a paper on teacher communication in cases of dual enrollment of preschool children in both early intervention and day care stresses the need for formal mechanisms to ensure collaborative planning and ongoing communication among the multiple adults involved in the child's day. (DB)