This commentary responds to several issues raised in a critique of a paper on cooperative professional development. Issues include facilitation of knowledge exchange between special and general education teachers, potential politicization and competitiveness in cooperative professional development teams, and accountability of cooperative…

Speech language pathologists providing collaborative-consultative services are urged to utilize a student skills framework, such as that of the MEGASKILLS approach, which focuses on developing students' confidence, motivation, effort, responsibility, initiative, perseverance, caring, teamwork, problem solving, and common sense. (DB)

Describes evolution and structure of the four-year leadership curriculum at Southwestern College (Kansas), whose model promotes personal development, interpersonal growth, and service leadership through class work, field trips, conferences, and practical experience. Students work on projects throughout the program as teams, mentored in the early…

Responding to a budget deficit, St. John Fisher College (New York) used quality-management tools to address critical budget issues and initiate a strategic program. Because the process used consensus-building tools, committee members felt they had been given equal input into resource allocation decisions and the process provided a sense of shared…

Describes the use of the action planning and research process (APR) by seven collaborative teams with 29 students having emotional or behavioral disorders in a middle school. The process involves student identification; systematic student assessment in interpersonal, emotional, cognitive, and biological areas; developing and implementing…

Discusses the potential of teaching teams and collaborative instruction to support college faculty's action research efforts, and describes the use of such teams at one university, with illustrations from faculty research projects. Lessons learned in establishing and implementing teaching teams, and recommendations for enhancing their…

By statutory mandate, all first-year teachers in Kentucky receive support and assistance that develop a strong, lifelong career foundation. Legislation in 1985 established a collegial team to induct new professionals and establish a culture of continuing growth for the profession. Internships with meaningful mentoring are keys to success. (MLH)

Describes a multilevel interagency transition-planning process which includes three levels: a community-based team, school-level team, and individual-level team. Evaluation data are discussed that indicate consumer satisfaction with the Teaching All Students Skills for Employment and Life Transition planning process. Three case studies are used to…

Summarizes the four-year findings for two different teams of practicum students participating in a study of peer coaching and paired placement during their early field experiences and before their final elementary student-teaching experience. Data from observations, surveys, journals, and peer-coaching forms indicated that the program positively…

Presents three aspects of multi-professional shared learning. Discusses the levels of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that comprise a learner's "readiness" for Inter-Professional Learning and describes the design and implementation of a multi-professional shared-learning course. Identifies the educational principles underlying shared…

Describes how teamwork, consistency, and use of sign language helped a child with Down Syndrome and deafness to increase her vocabulary from less than 20 words at the beginning of kindergarten to 228 words by the end of first grade. Six specific teaching strategies are outlined. (DB)

Provides evaluation snapshots of nine programs operated by the Chesapeake (Virginia) Public Schools to illustrate the importance of ongoing program assessment. Advises evaluators to use teamwork, employ a full-time evaluator, utilize consultants as needed, write annual management plans, involve school division administrators, and meet regularly.…

The superintendent of a wealthy, rural school district describes the unique context of schooling reform in Westchester County, New York. Pressures for reform coming from parents and the community lead to interschool competition and spark micropolitics that spill out into the community. Successful schools have greater autonomy and empowered…

A small group of teachers at one Illinois high school is helping to effect and promote change. Through the Action Research Laboratory (ARL), teams of teachers conduct collaborative action research to improve classroom practices. Data from the first two years of the ARL indicate that teachers are eager to participate in, and have thrived in, their…

This study evaluated effects of training a school team in use of the Participation Assessment Framework and barrier-specific interventions (including technology applications) on the participation in literacy and math activities of a 10-year-old student with cerebral palsy and no functional speech. It found that the systematic training was…