This report presents results of a survey of 1,275 Individualized Education Program (IEP) managers in Minnesota concerning IEP team collaboration and communication, technology use, IEP manager tasks, and effects of IEP software, both networked and non-networked versions. Survey data were divided into five comparative groups: no use of software to…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a federally supported four-year project to enhance and implement an innovative model for interprofessional preservice training of early childhood intervention personnel. The New Scripts model is specifically committed to three areas of personnel development: supporting opportunities for…

This article describes the stages of an assistive technology (AT) assessment process and use of an Assistive Technology Referral Format for use with students who have disabilities. Emphasis is on assisting teams to identify AT objectives within the student's present skills and curriculum and plan for the appropriate use of AT. The relevant forms…

Teacher leadership plays a significant role in the professional culture of many schools across the country, according to principals who value it. This is the major conclusion from a survey and telephone interviews conducted by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL). While limited in scope, the study confirms the contributions of teacher…

This paper describes a practicum program that was developed to increase the effectiveness of the administrative team at one high school. A lack of communication skills had prevented the target group from working together as a team. Strategies included role-play activities, workshops, and communication skill-development meetings. A series of…

This handbook aims to help parents of emotionally disabled children and professionals serving emotionally disabled children to put the concept of collaboration into practice, to understand the barriers to collaboration, and to develop strategies to overcome those barriers and promote a working partnership. Factors that may influence or inhibit the…

The practicum provided interdisciplinary team educational experiences for students of physical and occupational therapy. Activities included administering a questionnaire to physical therapy students to determine student understanding of pediatric physical and occupational therapy role delineation. Questionnaires were also administered to…

The paper provides guidelines for establishing and operating teacher aide programs in special education. Chapter I considers legal aspects of using paraprofessionals with emphasis on the stance of the Nebraska Professional Practices Commission. A second chapter outlines the roles and duties of teachers and aides, offers sample job descriptions for…

This book is designed as a problem-based user's guide and sourcebook for practitioners who are developing and facilitating collaborative groups to improve student learning. It is organized by six themes that, taken together, focus and generate productive group results: getting work done, doing the work right, working collaboratively, managing…

An electronic survey of a listserv discussion group, the Interdisciplinary Teamed Instruction (ITI) group, was conducted to learn more about the group and to explore surveying electronically. A 10-question survey was posted electronically, as were respondents' replies. Three reminders were posted over the 3-week reply period. The number of…

This dissertation investigates the effects of two different grouping strategies on secondary students concerning their preparation for, and performance at, a computer programming contest. Students were divided into two groups, experimental and control, for a 3-week treatment, followed by the contest. Students in the experimental group became…

This paper reports the results of an empirical study that investigated the instructional design process of three teams involved in the development of an e-­learning unit. The teams declared they were using the same fast-­prototyping design and development model, and were composed of the same roles (although with a different number of SMEs).…

Approaches to managing conflict in the collaborative process are discussed, along with the need for collaboration in schools. Collaboration by teachers, administrators, parents, and others can help identify problems, consider relevant data, plan and implement interventions, and evaluate results. However, the knowledge, experience, and values of…

This guide was developed to accompany a 43-minute video that introduces early intervention personnel to the transdisciplinary (TD) assessment process. The transdisciplinary team consists of the family and professionals from various disciplines, working together to share information and skills across disciplinary boundaries in assessment, program…

This manual is designed to guide the implementation of the Joining Forces Program, a comprehensive improvement process for secondary schools. Implementation of the program requires the cooperative effort of the local school district, state and local education associations, and the administration and staff of participating schools. Joining Forces…