Interviews were conducted with parents of 18 students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders following the first year of a junior high inclusion program based on teacher and student collaborative teams. Program aspects parents identified included personal attention for students, positive attributes of teachers, and improved student…

Examines effects of the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act from a caring, innovative elementary teacher's viewpoint. A court required KERA, the legislature created it, state officials regulate it, but teachers are directly responsible for working together to make reforms work. Unfortunately, the state has not provided enough direction to…

Focuses on a collaborative form of teacher education--pair teaching in the preservice training of English-as-a-Foreign-Language/English-as-a-Second-Language teachers in Hungary. The results of a longitudinal study of the relationship between the principles of pair teaching and its realization in group work are discussed. Data were collected…

Used the critical incident technique to study conditions that encourage or discourage teacher collaboration. Found that time, training, and organizational support were crucial to collaboration. Lack of structured support, pressures to "cover" curriculum and conduct testing, and traditions of tracking and separate-subject instruction discouraged…

This report describes implementation of the Combined Classroom Model to serve 28 students, including 3 with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) and 6 with learning disabilities. Staff included a general education teacher, a resource teacher, and three teaching assistants. Evaluation data indicated reduced problem behavior by EBD students and…

This article discusses prereferral consultation and intervention assistance in educating children with and without disabilities. The article focuses on the history, rationale, and philosophical perspectives of prereferral intervention and legal and public policy considerations. The article reviews studies evaluating Teacher Assistance Teams,…

Describes the teachers-as-learners concept employed by Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound's extended workshop on the Cherokee Nation Trail of Tears. Journal excerpts describing one teacher's experience are provided, along with lessons learned from treaty negotiations with a federal judge and Cherokee tribal representatives. "Summit"…

This response to a paper on teacher communication in cases of dual enrollment of preschool children in both early intervention and day care stresses a distinction between communication and collaboration, the importance of family permission and involvement in any cross-program communication network, and the responsibility of the early intervention…

Describes an on-site staff development program within one school district's secondary schools. The Secondary Instructional Specialist Program trains teachers to provide on-site assistance to other teachers. The assistance considers district, school, and teacher needs and goals. The paper includes recommendations for staff developers. (SM)

Discusses implications for teacher education programs of the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings. Strategies to use at the teacher preparation stage include practicum supervision by teacher educators from both regular and special education, and modeling joint teaching methods classes. A workshop on inclusive…

Two beginning teachers were observed in an integrated instruction planning task. Their interpretations were studied when they worked collaboratively and when they worked independently. Data from interviews and field notes indicated that their individual planning lacked decision-choice flexibility and had limited strategy use. When they…

Examined the use of online collaborative consultation in providing social, emotional, practical, and professional support to beginning teachers. Beginning and experienced teachers and teacher educators communicated via an email list over 6 months. Qualitative and quantitative data indicated that these discussions provided teachers opportunities to…

A survey of 35 Illinois institutions of higher education was conducted to evaluate the extent to which preservice undergraduate general educators received instruction in the concepts and practices associated with inclusion and collaboration. Results indicated that the limited instruction received in these areas was inadequate to provide teachers…

Discusses how an open door policy of an artist's workshop and school classrooms can facilitate connections between art and writing, reading, and science. Describes how classroom teachers receive memos detailing the workshop routine and observe the workshop while the art teacher observes classroom activities. Describes how a "Community of Teachers…

Discusses principles of curricular revision and academic change, focusing on the variety of collaborative relationships that develop during the process. Highlights collaboration among faculty; among academic services staff; and between academic personnel and public relations and admissions departments, institutional development staff, alumni, and…