A middle-school principal initially skeptical of Margrove College's distance-learning program for teachers was pleasantly surprised by the teacher teamwork and cooperative-learning classroom activities this Master's degree engendered. The program effectively transferred skills to practice by blending theory, demonstration, practice, feedback, and…

Projects a "typical" future teacher's career path, based on current teacher-education developments. She will be a highly motivated student, major in an academic subject, enter a highly selective teacher-education program, pursue challenging coursework, get adequate field experience, enter a professional-development-school internship, and develop…

Explores benefits derived from the "Gardendale Family" (a vertically aligned team of K-6 classrooms in which students remain throughout their elementary school careers). Focuses on ways in which the Gardendale Family has built a strong school-based community within which family/parent involvement is crucial. (SR)

Finds that K-12 literacy professionals: (1) read journal articles and books more often than research journals or electronic sources; (2) believe in collaborative experiences among teachers; (3) are interested in becoming teacher researchers; (4) feel book clubs are valuable; (5) do not want portfolio assessment to replace other forms; and (6) feel…

Discusses Japanese teacher professional development strategies, which are driven by a peer-based model using peer collaboration, planning, and management, exploring how the Japanese perspective of teaching as craft contributes to elementary professional development. Critical issues inherent in the Japanese model are discussed, noting its basic…

Teachers' perceptions of support provided for implementation of the New American Schools models in the Memphis City (Tennessee) school district are examined in relation to the effectiveness of these models. Via questionnaires and focus group interviews, teachers indicated professional development, teacher collaboration, and resources to be…

Demonstrates how social foundations and curriculum and instruction scholars collaborated on a professional development project for inservice teachers, describing a summer institute designed to facilitate teaching for diversity. The paper discusses themes resulting from an action research project that examined patterns of teacher talk, particularly…

To be great teachers and contribute to their school systems, teachers must gain others' support. Teachers can tap endless resources: their colleagues, students, parents, professional organizations, professional literature, other schools, universities, and themselves. Teachers allowed to teach according to their beliefs are happiest. (MLH)

This article reviews requirements for considering the need for assistive technology (AT) services within the Individualized Education Program process and highlights the importance of collaborative teamwork. Current AT models are described, along with the AT Co-Planner. The use of a software version of the model is discussed. (Contains references.)…

Describes a collaborative research study working to plan instruction and assess student learning. Describes the dilemmas encountered and the decision-making process as the teachers collaborated to develop a vision of how best to create an integrated unit on the Civil Rights Movement that fostered student learning but also facilitated aesthetic…

This article describes how coteaching in a general education life skills class became an effective way to provide inclusive instruction to benefit all of the students, both with and without disabilities. The collaborative team unified separate special education and general education transition efforts within a general education transition class.…

This article describes components of co-teaching and gives examples of what the teacher interactions of that component may resemble at each developmental stage of co-teaching: the beginning stage, the compromise stage, and the collaborative stage. The Coteaching Rating Scale is presented for examining the effectiveness of co-teaching classrooms.…

Successful integration of technology into education calls for a new vision of professional development as an ongoing program aligned with curriculum goals, designed with built-in evaluation, and sustained by adequate financial and staff support. Research identifies three effective collaborative models: peer coaching, study groups, and thematic…

Examines the effectiveness of Accelerated School Programs (ASPs) on the basis of a study of four comprehensive schools in Israel. Assesses the influence of ASPs upon internal school processes, such as school goals, structures, and cultures, as perceived by school staff. Determines the project's impact on staff and parents' attitudes, and examines…

Steps for effective coteaching by special education and regular education teachers are identified. Examples of coteaching in elementary and junior high schools are given. The need for communication between teachers is emphasized as the key ingredient to successful coteaching. (CR)