Describes the Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator and examines its use as a management tool for library administrators to build effective work teams. Successful applications of the method are described, its limitations are discussed, and suggestions for the effective use of this tool are offered. (Five references) (CLB)

The collaborative five-phase process of an action research team's two-year project in a New Hampshire junior high school is described. This qualitative study sheds light on team experiences, developmental phases, interpersonal tasks/issues, group processes, outcomes, and staff-development experiences. Team meetings/projects create an outlet for…

This article reviews the literature on conflict resolution skills and applies it to local interagency coordinating councils attempting to coordinate services to young children with special needs and their families. Six dimensions (climate, people, resources, agency, process, and policies) of the collaborative process are identified. (Author/DB)

This paper considers issues affecting collaboration of professionals and family members in assessing children with special needs. Issues include process versus outcome, the balance of power between families and professionals, choices available to families, sequencing of services, formal versus informal assessment, family concerns and priorities,…

The approach used by the University of Texas at Houston to fill a key administrative position is described. The method used a team of 13 members representing each school involved and other key constituents. Factors affecting the team's cohesiveness, procedures, and follow-up activities are explained. (MSE)

Addresses performance technology issues in the form of a parable. Issues discussed include management and leadership roles, assigning tasks to appropriately skilled workers, teamwork, cooperation, task performance, job descriptions, training needs, management goals, rewards, and quality control. (LRW)

Trust is a significant factor in collective action. A composite case illustrates the value of trust as a critical element of effective teamwork in a self-managed school context. Trust depends on individuals' predilections, intensive communication and interaction patterns, team composition, guiding principles, and teammates' emotional bonding.…

Discusses ways to improve collaborative communication between core and exploratory curriculum teachers in interdisciplinary team-taught middle schools. Considers techniques of curriculum integration, homebase/advisory alliances, extended teams, core-exploratory liaisons, rotating team connections, exploratory teams, equalized assessment,…

The authors propose a model of the stages of interdisciplinary collaboration grounded in their experiences as external evaluators of a university-community partnership. (Contains 1 table.)

In special education, professional collaboration is viewed as a powerful tool for helping teachers serve students with disabilities. An underlying assumption is that general educators will improve practice if they have opportunities to participate in collaborative professional development aimed at improving instruction for students with…

These lesson plans describe some of the basic conflict resolution lessons developed and used over the past years. The collection focuses on seven communication skills, sequenced from skills and activities that generally require the least amount of trust to those that require more. The skills identified include: (1) attention; (2) observation; (3)…

This study explored the efforts of shared decision-making teams (SDM) that were created by a state mandate and charged with improving student achievement in New York state. For example, under the mandate, a shared decision-making team composed of representatives from the administration, the faculty, and parents must be present in each public…

According to the employees, employers, and service providers who participated in a series of 18 focus groups across the country, companies striving to reinvent themselves to compete successfully are beginning to recognize the benefits of making employees partners in the change process. Companies have only three levers for making changes in…

This paper indicates that there are two school locations where the principles of quality are at work: on the team practice field and in the band rehearsal hall. Participants in instrumental music and athletics have shown significantly higher scores on achievement tests, higher grade point averages, and lower absenteeism than the rest of the school…

This guide is intended to assist groups of special educators to plan, design, and implement mutual professional support activities. The first section, on the nature of professional support groups, presents a definition and discussion of activity focus, format, permanence of focus, and structure. The second section looks specifically at the role of…