To support the integration of technology in the K-12 special and general education classroom, especially for students with disabilities, teachers must be experienced in the application of technology to curriculum. Professional development programs continue to provide opportunity, but often do not result in teacher proficiency in the integration of…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of a 3-year federally funded project that investigated the effectiveness of a collaborative teaming process to increase the academic achievement and social participation of elementary students with augmentative and alternative (AAC) needs who were members of general education classrooms. The…

This paper challenges the traditional teacher autonomy model, which assumes that classroom teachers are isolated practitioners charged with teaching classrooms of students independently for most of the school day. It asserts that the realities of modern schools have changed, and teachers are often not as isolated as they once were. Salisbury…

This paper briefly describes two projects--one in the United States, one in England--that studied professional learning communities (PLCs). Part I of the paper describes the two projects. The American project is called the Creating Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement project. The purpose of this study was to document and examine…

A survey was conducted to investigate special education teaching conditions. A total of 246 special education teachers, 158 special education administrators, 110 principles, and 72 regular education teachers responded to survey questions that addressed the availability of appropriate materials, the provision of suitable physical facilities, the…

This book explains how to create a collaborative learning environment involving librarians, teachers, administrators, and all team players in K-12 education. Building on existing educational standards, the book features such proven tools as a ready-to-use framework for establishing a collaborative relationship, 40 discussion prompts to help…

This collection of papers describes what is known about the effective professional development of literacy educators. The 11 papers are: (1) "Professional Development Scenarios: What Is and Might Be" (Emily Rodgers and Gay Su Pinnell); (2) "A National Overview of Professional Development Programs in Reading" (Marie Tejero Hughes, Michele Mits…

Starting a new position is exhilarating. The key challenge is to make the strange familiar as soon as possible. There are new policies to learn, new colleagues to get to know, and new surroundings to adapt to. All these aspects and more need to be understood and managed well in order to focus on the primary task at hand--teaching and learning. Of…

This report discusses the outcomes of a project that investigated elementary schools and classrooms that had a reputation for effective implementation of curriculum differentiation practices to meet the individual needs of high ability students. Using a multisite case study method, researchers conducted observations in classrooms and interviewed…

This paper discusses how the collaboration of several educational groups (the Illinois Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Illinois Association of Teacher Education, Commission for Quality Teacher Education in Illinois, Golden Apple Foundation, and Illinois Staff Development Council) has helped influence public policy. The…

This collection of papers focuses on what is known and practiced in professional development. Part 1, "The Purposes of Professional Development," includes (1) "Educational Purposes and Teacher Development" (Maxine Greene); (2) "Going Public: The Imperative of Public Education in the 21st Century" (Carl D. Glickman and…

This book presents the story of two teachers, one black and one white, who confronted the boundaries of race, describing their journey through distrust, anger, and fear as they grappled with race in classroom teaching. It explains how the white teacher, guided by her African American mentor, learned to effectively teach African American students.…

The Interdisciplinary Teamed Instruction (ITI) project investigated the effects of interdisciplinary, teamed instruction on secondary school teaching and learning. It examined the effectiveness of a professional development model that facilitated the development, implementation, and evaluation of ITI. Through summer institutes and onsite…

This report examines what has been learned from the efforts of the Urban Network to Improve Teacher Education (UNITE) efforts to inform state policy. UNITE originated in 1993 with nine urban partnerships between urban schools and colleges of education and their urban K-12 counterparts. Their mission is strengthening the recruitment, preparation,…

This report examines six policies and practices that are often barriers to quality teaching, presenting examples of programs and activities designed to eliminate specific barriers to quality teaching. The policies and practices are: recruitment of quality teachers (barriers include lack of incentives to teach, bureaucratic practices, and…