This paper presents 15 questions for educators and administrators to ask themselves in designing and implementing inclusive and collaborative school programs. Questions, and the accompanying answers, cover such issues as funding, parental support, district philosophy, support for teachers, service delivery, teacher attitudes, regular education…

Integrated programs provide students with a balanced mix of academic and vocational skills needed in the workplace and for lifelong learning. Basic skills in mathematics, science, and communication form the foundation for lifelong learning and the content for higher-order skills. Occupational skills depend on and do not exist apart from academic…

This paper examines primary issues influencing rural educational cooperatives. The paper highlights the benefits of rural cooperative formation and outlines the key points in creating effective rural interdistrict cooperatives. It is directed toward those who are interested in policy issues surrounding cooperative development and maintenance. The…

This resource guide is intended to aid practitioners in the design of new curriculum units or the enrichment of existing units by suggesting activities and resources in the topic areas of earth, air, fire, and water. Special projects and trips relating to these topic areas are proposed. A sample arts networking system used to integrate various…

Many rural school districts struggling with declining elementary school enrollments will soon face the more complex problems of declining high school enrollment. School districts with only one high school do not have the option of consolidation and must find innovative solutions to the problem of maintaining educational quality with dwindling…

Explains two major methods of improving university-level social work curricula when budget restrictions prevent hiring additional qualified faculty: exploiting people resources (including faculty and staff in related and unrelated areas, former students, agency field supervisors, community members) and exploiting media resources (including books,…

This document represents the latest collaborative effort between the Connecticut School Counselor Association (CSCA), the Connecticut Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors (CACES) and the Connecticut State Department of Education. This document delineates best practices for establishing a comprehensive school counseling program and…

Joint rural school-community projects are best sustained when developed by a collaborative group. The two basic dimensions of working collaboratively are team building and team planning. Critical elements of the collaborative process are: 1) community readiness--an assessment of community readiness should be performed, taking into consideration…

This article presents a teacher collaboration model called curriculum-based collaboration (CBC), which utilizes the differing expertise and perspectives of general and special education teachers. CBC includes several steps: (1) identify key content; (2) hold a planning meeting; (3) deliver instruction; (4) conduct an interim assessment; (5)…

Utah advocates for gifted and talented education used creative problem-solving processes to design a mutually acceptable mission and goals statement that gave direction to statewide advocacy efforts. The document recognizes ownership of the tasks belonging to each advocacy group and provides flexibility for future growth and development in gifted…

Examines collaborative projects conducted in cooperation with teacher training and higher education institutions worldwide, offering a rationale for using electronic mail in internationally cooperative projects with schools. Electronic mail enhances teacher education by supporting constructivist approaches to learning and encouraging closer…

Background information is provided on gifted students with learning disabilities and/or physical impairments. The need for collaborative interventions to meet the needs of these students is discussed, viewing collaboration as personal interaction, as the interaction of roles, and as interinstitutional interaction. A collaborative/consultation…

This article describes ideas for using administrators to facilitate the change to a collaborative consultative model and offers some thoughts on initiation of the model. (Author/JDD)

This article defines collaborative consultation and teaching and discusses key skills for successful collaboration. Sample forms include a rating scale to evaluate team communication, a checklist to review roles and professional expectations, a lesson plan form, a form for identifying setting demands and classroom expectations, and an…

This article addresses the issues associated with school failure, delinquency, and violence. Prevention strategies for diverting at-risk children and youth are described and illustrated, including supporting families, developing and implementing school-based prevention approaches, supporting schools, improving academic and social competence, and…