This feature issue of IMPACT focuses on the empowerment of families with a member who has a developmental disability. It presents strategies and models for a collaborative, respectful approach to service provision, and presents the experiences of families in seeking support and assistance. Feature articles include "Two Generations of…

Targeted to educators and parents of gifted children, this issue is divided into three sections that address differentiating curriculum for the gifted. The following articles are included: (1) "The Essential Assumptions Regarding Differentiation of Curriculum for Gifted Students" (Susan Winebrenner); (2) "Curriculum Differentiation…

This newsletter theme issue discusses collaboration between professionals and families whose children have emotional disorders. Background information is provided on the concept of empowerment and the development of collaboration as a principle for delivering services. Factors that lead to empowerment and barriers experienced by families are…

Cooperative learning is being recommended as a solution for numerous education problems, from enhancing disadvantaged children's self-esteem to ensuring academic success for all students. Cooperative learning has great potential as a supplement or alternative to traditional teaching methods when students are adequately socialized and motivated.…

Some schools struggle to implement comprehensive school reform, whereas others succeed. The difference usually is that the successful schools use a combination of effective change strategies. This issue lists six strategies for change that can nearly guarantee success: (1) developing an atmosphere and context conducive to change; (2) developing…

Two Oregon science education programs are described following an introduction that discusses underlying problems in science education and approaches taken by exemplary practices. Exemplary practices involve the process method of instruction, teacher training, utilization of science resources outside the school, and instruction that emphasizes the…

This pamphlet discusses group problem solving in schools. Its point of departure is that teachers go at problems from a number of different directions and that principals need to capitalize on those differences and bring a whole range of skills and perceptions to the problem-solving process. Rather than trying to get everyone to think alike,…

Collaboration as a strategy to improve the instructional effectiveness of a school's faculty is examined in this bulletin. The first of four chapters provides a brief discussion of teacher isolation and its consequences and the positive effects of collaboration on school renewal, teacher satisfaction, teacher learning, cooperation among students,…

No single comprehensive student services delivery model exists, and "student services" terminology remains problematic. The Office of Student Services has defined student services as those services provided by educational institutions to facilitate learning and the successful transition from school to work, military, or more education. To be…

The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program at Rota High School in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which includes over half of the school's students, develops teamwork and helps students excel in academics. Students are instilled with discipline, motivation, pride, and a sense of integrity, trust, and belonging. The…

Recently, the traditional school structure has been harshly scrutinized for several key defects, including bureaucratic rules and regulations, professional isolation of teaching staff, evaluation systems irrelevant to instructional improvement, low teacher participation in decision making, and noncooperation between teachers and administrators.…

This document is comprised of the two 2000 issues of a newsletter addressing the administrative concerns of child-care centers, learning centers, preschools, nursery schools, kindergartens, and intergenerational centers. Issue 220 features an interview with Rob Reiner regarding the "I Am Your Child" campaign and articles on how one…

This biannual review of research describes promising research models that are helping all students, including students with disabilities, manage their own behavior in school settings. The common features of school-wide systems of behavioral support are identified and include: (1) total staff commitment to managing behavior; (2) clearly defined and…

Descriptions of 10 college programs involving collaborative learning are presented, along with Karen T. Romer's essay, "Collaboration: New Forms of Learning, New Ways of Thinking." The essay identifies various kinds of collaborative learning as well as the benefits of collaborative models. The following programs and schools are…

Schools across the United States are creating teacher teams in ever-greater numbers. "Teaming" refers to assembling a group of teachers from different disciplines and/or grade levels who work together as a "core group" responsible for teaching a subset of the school's population. This brief examines some of the potential conflicts between teacher…