Reflects on the development of transition planning and services for students with disabilities. Discusses legislative changes mandating transition services and describes current conditions and outcomes for youth in transition. Identifies transformative collaboration and other themes that have implications for improvement of transition services.…

This study examined the various teaching roles engaged in by four primary-grade special education teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing in co-enrollment classes with hearing students. Results indicated that most teachers engaged in teaching deaf students only, followed by teaching the whole class, and interpreting. (Contains…

This article explains how educators can use the ecological congruence assessment process for identifying functional goals for young children with disabilities. Process steps include: teacher collects information about functioning in usual classroom activities, routines, and transitions; summarizes the collected information; and shares the…

Focuses on three issues involved in successfully preparing a performance program for elementary school students: (1) know the students, the other teachers, and the audience (specifically parents); (2) understand how to select programs that are appropriate; and (3) be aware of your limitations as the teacher. Includes program ideas for elementary…

For one year, four Fairbanks (Alaska) teachers struggled through the process of laying the foundations of Chinook Charter School, a K-8 school serving 75 students. The school's philosophy respects children as learners, supports individualized student-centered instruction, and encourages substantial parent involvement. (SV)

In attempting to define professional development schools (PDSs), this paper describes the origins of PDSs, which grew out of recognition by research universities that prospective teachers needed professional sites where they could be introduced to models of excellence in all facets of public education. The paper examines what good PDSs should…

Describes four teaming roles for special educators of the deaf and general educators. Specific functions of both the general and special educator are given for: (1) pre/post assessment of knowledge and skills of content; (2) organization of learning experiences; (3) provision of instruction; and (4) monitoring student participation. (DB)

Describes an interactive-teaming model for delivering inservice education to teams providing services in early-childhood educational settings. Explains the model's critical features and how these features link with an interactive teaming format. Results of preliminary participant evaluations are also presented. (Author/DB)

A survey of 253 Canadian school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) found that they use classroom-based approaches primarily for language intervention with early elementary students, judge classroom-based approaches generally successful for intervention with language, articulation, fluency, and voice disorders, and use classroom-based…

In the literature, discussions of staff development (as a top-down decision-making model) have shifted to teacher-centered professional growth. Components include teachers as learners, reflective decisionmakers, collaborators, and accountability experts. Creating a culture of learning and involving teachers in strategic decision making are…

Describes how standards established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for its Early Childhood/Generalist certification serve the purposes of accountability-driven education and can revitalize teaching and enrich teachers' work with each other. The paper examines one teacher's experiences weaving the standards through class…

An interview with educator and author Alfie Kohn discusses the need to stop confusing better learning with higher test scores; how progressive education helps children learn to think for themselves; professional development that appeals to teachers' long-term goals for their students; and restructuring education so teachers can ask for help,…

A case study explored availability of collaboration benefits and the difficulties teachers experienced in attaining them in a traditional comprehensive high school that hosts a career academy and a school-within-a-school. Administrators should encourage teachers' voluntary participation, allow adequate planning time, provide training, and increase…

A group of teacher educators discovered that creating root metaphors (for example, teaching = bread making) connected them with the enjoyable and comforting aspects of their profession. Reading one another's metaphors initiated connections, images, ideas, and insights that could be shared with their preservice students. (MLH)

Discusses the long-standing tension between code emphasis and meaning emphasis approaches to reading instruction. The swing from phonics to whole language and back again is described. Collaboration between remedial specialists and regular education teachers to reduce the incidence of children who require special help is urged. (Author/CR)