Any type of organization can be a learning organization (LO) if it possesses certain characteristics: provide continuous learning opportunities, use learning to reach its goals, link individual performance with organizational performance, foster inquiry and dialogue, embrace creative tension as a source of energy and renewal, and be continuously…

A growing number of schools and districts are considering using teams to handle all types of decision making and advisory activities. The term "teams" can be applied to a wide spectrum of groups with various purposes or powers. This bulletin was designed to assist those who want to create efficient, successful teams. It provides…

This research abstract summarizes two reports titled: (1) "Mainstream Assistance Teams to Accommodate Difficult to Teach Students in General Education" (Douglas Fuchs and Lynn S. Fuchs) and "Prereferral Intervention through Teacher Consultation: Mainstream Assistance Teams (Douglas Fuchs and others). The project investigated a…

This information sheet summarizes requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regarding inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms and lists activities and support systems that have been found successful in fostering such inclusion. Suggestions are given in the areas of attitudes and beliefs,…

This digest familiarizes counselors with the four major types of child maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, and emotional abuse or neglect. A definition is provided for each, along with relevant symptoms and statistics. The subsequent discussion focuses on identifying maltreatment and on counseling abused children.…

Cooperative learning methods capitalize on the heterogeneous student bodies of most urban schools. They appear to foster better student achievement than individualistic methods, to increase cross-ethnic friendships, and to improve students' self-esteem and positive attitudes toward other students and the school. Six currently published cooperative…

This ERIC Digest describes research findings, mainly in elementary social studies classrooms, on the effects of cooperative learning on multicultural awareness and cross-ethnic friendships, interpersonal relationships, and prosocial behavior. Research findings on cooperative techniques in the classroom are summarized as follows: compared with…

In a high performance work organization (HPWO), employee basic skills are just one of many components. HPWOs feature the following: they have flatter organizational structures, have work done by teams of highly skilled workers, and have a focus on quality, customer service, and continuous improvement. The collaborative approach to workplace…

Part of a volume which explores current issues in service delivery to infants and toddlers with handicapping conditions (ages birth to 3), this chapter treats the subject of competencies needed by the early childhood special educator specializing in infancy. First, the following context variables are discussed as they relate to definitions of…

Many college faculty increasingly do much of their work, i.e., teaching, conducting research, and writing, in partnership with colleagues. This is due to such things as rapidly changing technologies and increasingly specialized knowledge. Faculty collaboration usually takes two principal forms, teaching and research, and are often distinctive…

Part of a volume which explores current issues in service delivery to infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) with handicapping conditions, this chapter addresses the nature and challenges of effective administrative leadership of early intervention programs. Basic administrative tasks are identified, such as: building an early intervention team,…

This report discusses efforts in adult English as a Second Language (ESL) education to link language instruction to workforce and civic skills (skills needed for successful participation in the community). It looks at the social forces that underlie these efforts (shifts in the U.S. economy, welfare reform, accountability requirements, and learner…

Quality work teams that are based on W. Edwards Deming's business-management theories have proliferated at the school and district levels to handle problem solving and decision making. Teams are said to build stronger relationships among those involved in education and, ultimately, to benefit students because more people with broader perspectives…

This digest discusses the role of continuous quality improvement (CQI) in college classroom effectiveness efforts, particularly specific institutions where sustained CQI programs have affected college classroom practice, these projects' common features, and lingering doubts about CQI. It discusses the general principles and philosophy of CQI and…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. It reviews how college faculty are increasingly collaborating to do much of their work. It notes that the two principal forms of collaboration, teaching and research, are often distinctive arrangements depending on the field of study, institutional environment, and task…