This paper describes a process by which developing or established teams can create a clear and common understanding of issues concerning team purpose, team approach, performance goals, role clarity, and mutual accountability. The major components of this process--Purpose, Approach, Goals, and Everyone mutually accountable--form the acronym…

School counselors' duties have multiplied over the years, requiring counselors to be involved with nearly every aspect of school operation. Ways in which paraprofessionals can help school counselors meet these demands are described in this paper. Counselors must provide crisis intervention, group and individual counseling, classroom guidance,…

This article shows the extent to which pupils borrow information from one another. In the course of classroom observations, learning in groups appeared to be polyphonic and was based upon the ideas of others. Learning through plagiarism, however, must be interpreted not as negative interdependence, but as a way for children to construct new…

This article includes the contents of a paper presented at the 1999 National Staff Development Conference, then summarizes data collected from attendees of that conference session in response to a written survey distributed and completed during the session. The conference session explained that paraeducators require training, but there is concern…

Laptops for students, increased teamwork and group interaction, and teaching as a facilitator of active learning have successfully converged in the classrooms of Northern Michigan University. This paper offers practical guidelines for integration strategies, theory, and outcomes assessments, based on a study undertaken for the 1999-2000 academic…

This report details a study designed to test the sustainability of a school-based Collaborative Action Team (CAT) process, which attempted to address the need to enhance family and community involvement in education and to be self-sustaining over time. Based in communities across five Southwestern states, the intervention tested the sustainability…

This manual was designed to assist museums in becoming accessible to all individuals, including people with disabilities, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (ADA). Following an introduction that addresses museum attendance, accessibility, universal design, and different types of disabilities, chapter 1, "ADA Basics…

This conference paper discusses the results of a study on the effectiveness of Florida's multidisciplinary Family Service Planning Teams (FSPT). The FSPTs were developed to create holistic service plans to enable children with emotional disabilities to live in the community and be successful in school. The FSPTs have become the focus of service…

This conference paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the validity of the Family-Centered Behavior Scale (FCBS) and its companion tool, the FCBS-Importance. On the FCBS, parents of children with special needs rate how often a professional with whom they work performs certain family-centered behaviors. On the FCBS-Importance,…

This action research study describes the perceptions of third through fifth grade classroom teachers and special services teachers who provided services to students needing special modifications in their instruction or interventions in order to succeed in regular classrooms. Participants indicated their level of agreement with 14 questions on a…

This qualitative study examined the socialization experiences of novice Louisiana middle school teachers. With the middle school as the unit of analysis, it used the aeronautical metaphor to describe schools as organizations where new teachers' initial flight into teaching occurred. Data collection involved interviews with principals, mentors, and…

Shared leadership among members of a home, school, and community partnership is an idealistic goal that sounds good in theory but can be very difficult to achieve. Based on a review of the literature on issues in collaboration and applied research conducted by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, this paper examines the importance of…

This book provides a guide for those who realize the importance and necessity of proactively countering the negative while, at the same time, making sure that the positive is heard about public education. When people promote schools, they are promoting and reaffirming the efforts and importance of children and those who have dedicated their lives…

This paper discusses the emerging national issues surrounding supervision of paraeducators in the classroom and provides initial guidance on practical ways to supervise effectively. It begins by describing the current situation in the U.S., focusing on two important issues: the training of teachers as supervisors and training for paraeducators.…

My purpose was to understand the essence of a specific change effort that occurred in a select group of public community colleges in Florida. This phenomenological study was undertaken to discover how leaders from seven Florida Community Colleges perceived their experience of organizationally changing their institutions through a unique…