Interdisciplinary programs of study, especially within psychology, offer many benefits including addressing diverse student interests while encouraging the growth of skills, perspectives, and experiences in collaboration that would otherwise be impossible. A health psychology emphasis was created within the psychology major as an interdisciplinary…

Learning organizations (LOs) serve as an important tool for continuous school improvement. School leaders can shift a school culture from top-down control to a learning-centered environment in which all staff share collective responsibility for improvement. This demands a collaborative culture, ongoing reflection on data to challenge existing…

The purpose of this study was to examine successful collaboration and conflict resolution techniques from research and experience. Subjects were graduate online learners (Anglo and Hispanic female teachers) who responded to discussion and planning through an early intervention online certificate class at the University of Texas at El Paso, a…

The purpose of this study is to analyse (1) newly arrived parents' accounts of collaboration in Swedish school context and (2) depicted triads and alliance constellations presented during interviews with recently arrived parents regarding the collaboration in Swedish school context. The study's analysis is based on secondary empirical material…

This article contains a review of relevant research concerning the implementation and operation of a professional learning community (PLC). The term "PLC Lite" is defined as the ineffective operation of a team acting under the umbrella of a PLC. Although many schools operate under the term PLC, daily operations do not produce evidence of…

Historically women in education are disproportionately represented at the highest positions of educational leadership, especially in comparison to the number who begin their careers as teachers. Feistritzer (2011) reported eighty-four percent of the teaching workforce were women, however, only twenty-four percent of superintendents were women…

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether a significant difference exists in the three levels of student engagement, (a) academic challenge, (b) active and collaborative learning, and (c) student-faculty interaction among male African-American student-athletes at NCAA Divisional (Division I, II, and III) and NAIA Institutions. The study…

The Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs (CAEP) has established five standards to measure the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs. Clinical partnerships and practice represent "Standard 2." The CAEP requires that teacher education programs design high quality clinical practice that is central to preparation…

This primer summarizes interdisciplinary collaborative mathematics as an integrative approach to train pre-service elementary teachers to teach math utilizing Junior Achievement USA (JA) educational programs within an elementary Math Methods course. The primer provides a JA historical background/program overview, summarizes the interdisciplinary…

Physical Science Day at The University of Texas--Pan American (UTPA), in collaboration with the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District, has been designed, developed and implemented to address an identified fundamental shortcoming in our educational process within this primarily (90+%) Hispanic serving border region. Physical Science Day…

Policymakers, researchers, and educators are calling for practicing teachers to assume leadership positions in schools. The goal is for these teacher leaders to work with administrators and bring about school improvements. To prepare teachers for this role, universities are encouraged to provide leadership opportunities for students aspiring to…

This paper focuses on the results of a study conducted to explore the effects of collaborative assessment. Forty college students studying at the English Language Teaching Department participated in the study. During the study the participants were briefed about the principles and practices of collaborative and self-assessment and were given the…

This study investigated leadership supports provided by an elementary principal of 15 years in a high performing diverse school. Employing document analysis and interviews, the researcher gathered and analyzed data in an effort to identify those leadership strategies that could be replicated at other school sites. The study identified the…

Problems associated with recruiting, supporting and retaining quality teachers in the STEM areas have been well documented in the literature. Specifically, findings suggest STEM teachers have indicated a need for pedagogy and increased content knowledge. These needs may be attributed to the fact that more STEM teachers have been alternatively…

The purpose of this paper is to share the results of multiphase initiatives funded by four separate grants. The projects were designed to improve and enhance collaborative teaching at the secondary level. Each project provided opportunities for increased collaboration between special education faculty, secondary education faculty, and…