When they are well-devised and implemented, academic standards, tests, and associated accountability provisions can change the nature of teaching and learning. They can lead to a richer, more challenging curriculum, foster teacher collaboration, create a more productive teacher/parent dialogue, and focus attention on student achievement. (MLH)

Collaboration as a cornerstone of effective school inclusion is an idea that has high theoretical currency among many scholars in the areas of special education and educational leadership. The challenge for educational practitioners is to find ways to implement high-quality special education programs collaboratively amid the public call for school…

Teachers, administrators and policy makers at all levels of public education remain challenged to devise more effective ways to optimize teacher performance and, thereby, student achievement. Numerous professional organizations and teacher training agencies have long been advocates of high levels of teacher interaction and have formally adopted…

This article explores the potential of a partnership between general teachers and special educators in relation to developing exemplary literacy classrooms. The focus is on how these partners can collaborate effectively to create a classroom literacy program for all learners. Successful teaming practices are highlighted, including the development…

Educational Leadership students need to spend significant time in authentic school contexts working alongside well-prepared mentor principals to be adequately prepared for complex leadership roles. Through carefully-designed internships, students link school leadership theory from academic coursework with actual improvisational practice. This type…

This research aims to devise a set of computer-based tools to meet the diverse needs of learners for comprehending a science learning unit, namely work. A model of computer-based tools on the learning unit for developing procedural knowledge for solving work problems was developed together with a set of teacher customization and collaboration…

The English government has focused upon a pattern of professional development that involves demonstration and modelling as a key element in the improvement of the teaching of 11-14 year olds (Key Stage 3 strategy). From 1997 the Nuffield Primary History Project (NPHP) has implemented a programme for the professional development of teachers built…

Projects a "typical" future teacher's career path, based on current teacher-education developments. She will be a highly motivated student, major in an academic subject, enter a highly selective teacher-education program, pursue challenging coursework, get adequate field experience, enter a professional-development-school internship, and develop…

Teachers' perceptions of support provided for implementation of the New American Schools models in the Memphis City (Tennessee) school district are examined in relation to the effectiveness of these models. Via questionnaires and focus group interviews, teachers indicated professional development, teacher collaboration, and resources to be…

To be great teachers and contribute to their school systems, teachers must gain others' support. Teachers can tap endless resources: their colleagues, students, parents, professional organizations, professional literature, other schools, universities, and themselves. Teachers allowed to teach according to their beliefs are happiest. (MLH)

Successful integration of technology into education calls for a new vision of professional development as an ongoing program aligned with curriculum goals, designed with built-in evaluation, and sustained by adequate financial and staff support. Research identifies three effective collaborative models: peer coaching, study groups, and thematic…

Special education policy requires schools to make disciplinary decisions concerning students with disabilities within a multidisciplinary team. In order to respond to this mandate, teacher educators must ensure that teachers have group collaboration and decision making skills. This article describes a multimedia problem-based learning module…

In the spring of 2002 the Ontario College of Teachers began a research project in order to foster awareness of the "Standards of Practice" for the 187 000 teachers in the province. Case work, in which 18 teachers representative of the College's membership wrote narratives describing their professional dilemmas, was the methodology…

The most valued means of support and learning cited by new teachers at Poland Regional High School in rural Maine are the collegial interactions that common workspace, common planning time, and common tasks make possible. The school has used these everyday structures to enable new and veteran teachers to converse about curricular and pedagogical…

Meeting the needs of students with disabilities in general education classrooms requires collaboration between general and special education teachers. In this article, the challenges of co-teaching at the secondary level are explored through the voices of general and special education teachers who co-taught in inclusive classrooms at a large…