Suggests teachers be involved in educational school facility planning efforts in order to fulfill educational program needs. The creation or vision process for facilities planning includes the program description, educational program overview, imagining the future, storyboarding, a Gap Analysis to identify program needs, and a force field analysis…

Describes the outcomes of a study that measured the attitudes of two middle school general-education teachers about inclusion. The general educators had high expectations for students with disabilities and perceived the participation and progress of students to be directly related to a special educator's presence in the class. (CR)

Describes various forms of block scheduling at the high school level and offers guidelines for scheduling special-education courses. Stresses the importance of special and regular teacher communication and collaboration, the use of different instructional strategies during the longer blocks, and positive effects of block scheduling on student…

Addresses issues related to the need for and development of standards for Professional Development Schools (PDSs), describing the work of the PDS Standards Field-Test Project (operating under the auspices of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education). The paper discusses what PDS work is, characteristics of PDS work, conditions…

Southeast Missouri State University has collaborative partnerships with local school districts and Professional Development Schools. This article reviews the partnership processes and describes challenges experienced by both the university and the schools related to communication among partners, availability of physical space, university faculty…

Describes one aspect of a teacher-education model at California State University, Fullerton that encourages collaboration among credential students and site teachers to promote reflection on teaching and learning. The demonstration-application lesson cycle incorporates cooperative planning and peer coaching to improve students' teaching and help…

Efforts are needed in teacher and school development to reshape the professional culture of teaching. Knowledge of the change process is critical for both creating and sustaining radical reform. When teachers become moral-change agents, they can cultivate powerful cultures required to work with communities in making a difference in learning for…

Presents strategies from six schools and two districts that won this year's U.S. Department of Education Model Professional Development Awards. Some of their strategies include teacher collaboration to plan professional development; teachers as leaders of learning for themselves and their peers; external partners providing expertise and resources;…

A public school teacher discusses how the process of attempting to earn National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification was an extremely enriching experience, despite the fact that he did not earn the certification. Two of the most significant lessons he learned from the process were making time to reflect on the work of teaching…

Examines the current situation of mathematics and science integration, discusses the current body of related research, and examines the implication issues related to integrated curriculum projects. The conclusion calls for mathematics and science educators to work collaboratively to address implementation issues surrounding reform of any kind, and…

Details a partnership between the University of Michigan and a rural Head Start grantee to facilitate teacher dialogue and shared activities. Examines characteristics of effective school-university partnerships. Describes how a group of Head Start teachers became a community of learners through teacher visits, consultations, and presentations…

This article contains a series of recommendations to improve collaborative teaching culled from interviews with administrators, teachers, parents, and students from 10 schools. General recommendations addressing service delivery, administrative, and communication issues are included, along with training recommendations for new and indirectly…

At a Portland (Oregon) weeklong summer workshop, K-12 teachers connect with their peers, learn from professional writers, and develop skills for teaching writing. As follow-up, participants get four guest writers for weeklong classroom residencies, $400 for books, and additional meetings with fellow participants. The program has improved teaching…

This article explores some fundamental features that foster the development of collaborative relationships and collaborative communities, which in turn support the success of students with disabilities. Effective mechanisms are presented for accessing and improving collaborative support networks. Start-up problems that may arise in many schools…

Describes the issues and problems encountered in the development of a teaching, research, and professional development collaboration between faculty in a large research university and K-12 teachers focusing on the Transforming Education through the Arts Challenge that is a privately funded project for arts education reform. (CMK)