Argues that partnerships between early childhood teacher preparation programs and public school teachers will strengthen the discourse on multicultural education and its institutionalization. Presents strategies for gaining a personal connection to multicultural education ideals, including developing cultural biographies, examining stereotypes and…

Explores the effectiveness of distance learning and multimedia technologies in facilitating an expanded learning community between geographically separated elementary and secondary schools with Hispanic students in Texas. Highlights include the Cultural Connections program; teacher collaboration; curricular activities; identity-forming…

Describes a professional development experience in which elementary teachers and college faculty participated in an Inquiry Seminar housed in the elementary school over 3 years. Teachers discussed classroom action research, and college faculty reflected on problems of practice in today's elementary classrooms. The boundary-crossing activities…

Examined the perceptions of Professional Development School (PDS) stakeholders to investigate the match between the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Draft Standards and PDS practice. Focus group data indicated that many aspects of the standards were successfully reflected, though some practices were not. Results…

At a Quito elementary school, the biggest challenge facing teachers was developing a curriculum that supports child-centered learning, a new concept for Ecuador's traditional society. To strengthen their own teaching and involve parents, a bilingual group of teachers began by collaborating among themselves. The result was a thematically oriented…

A survey of 51 university and agency-based interprofessional education training programs found that family member involvement in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of interprofessional collaboration and curricular attention to family-professional collaboration were present in a small number of programs. Recommendations for increasing…

Contends that college and university faculty must strengthen the ties between teachers in precollegiate and postsecondary institutions. Describes the Marathon County (Wisconsin) History Teaching Alliance, a collaborative professional development program that aims to enhance student learning through improved history instruction. Addresses the roles…

Argues against educational reform based solely on curricular standards, examining collaborative projects in two urban Professional Development Schools (PDSs) and advocating the resources and structures to establish critical relationships enabling educators to learn about themselves as they learn with others. Analyzing relationships characterizing…

A range of qualitative and quantitative methods were used to create case studies and summaries of 16 inclusive programs in 4 regional U.S. locations. The individualized service model that programs followed were itinerant-direct service, itinerant-collaborative consultative, team teaching, early childhood, early childhood special education, and…

By analyzing an unsuccessfully implemented project (a federally funded reading initiative), staff at a Michigan elementary school gained understanding about the countless dilemmas accompanying the change process. Real and lasting changes must be related to positive existing practices and require adequate time, support, and collaboration. (MLH)

Highlights best practices in teacher education, focusing on several University of Maryland Baltimore County programs that have in common an emphasis on: facilitating outstanding achievement (especially among minority students); encouraging service learning and hands-on experiences; promoting reflection; conducting continuous self-evaluation and…

Traces the evolution of the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Profession's teacher education program into a fifth-year extended internship model that culminates in a Masters degree in teaching. The program, developed cooperatively by university faculty and public school teachers and administrators, partners university faculty…

A team of educators, parents, and an outreach consultant developed Unified Plans of Support (UPS) for three students whose academic performance was below grade level and whose social participation was limited. Evaluation outcomes suggest consistent implementation of the UPS was associated with increases in academic engagement and social…

A study of nine effective secondary school teams teaching students with disabilities found the following characteristics: creating positive learning climates, providing instruction that focuses on active learning, setting and maintaining high expectations, allocating time to plan for the co-teaching process, and finding creative ways to evaluate…

Examines the complex roles and responsibilities of Professional Development School (PDS) liaisons from the perspective of one liaison who has served in many capacities. She notes that her most intriguing challenge relates to differences among sets of roles and responsibilities, some of which are more hierarchical and some of which are more…