Recently, "Team School" (School as a Team) has been proposed as a new image of schools in Japanese educational reform. Team School is an organizational model where teachers and non-teaching professionals (e.g., school counselors and school social workers) collaborate in order to respond to the increasingly complex and diverse issues the…

Special education professionals serve as facilitators of Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meetings. This study explores how facilitators see their IEP meeting roles and probes further into how IEP facilitators envision an ideal IEP meeting in school districts with rural schools. Findings indicate that facilitators see their roles in…

Background: Substantial research on reform implementation highlights numerous challenges to implementing innovations at scale with depth and sustainability, yet new reforms continue to encounter many of the same challenges. This has led to calls for researchers to work in partnership with practitioners to design, implement, and scale educational…

Bringing the transformative change to classrooms that supports student achievement requires a high level of collaboration and leadership. This article describes an innovative model for school improvement that focuses on coaching to elevate educators into true change-makers.

Over half of all teacher-powered schools have designated administrators, and the role is very different from what a traditional principal does at most K-12 schools. This guide is designed to address the unique opportunities and challenges in being a teacher-powered administrator. The guide draws on the expertise and experience of eight…

One strategy for creating a healthy school culture is to integrate health concepts into core subject areas. In this article, a health and wellness coordinator and a curriculum specialist explain the meticulous process and discoveries that led to the development of a district-specific health curriculum.

Accessibly written and specifically designed for secondary schools, "Implementing Systematic Interventions" provides you with the tools you need to successfully organize for and smoothly implement schoolwide intervention strategies. Discover how to: (1) organize administrative support and leadership teams; (2) create effective…

The provision of flexible, multidimensional, customized supports and services for a twice-exceptional (2e) child requires a system of education that is capable of dynamic and personalized interventions that respond to a 2e student's learning strengths and challenges. We believe that this kind of educational response entails more than an excellent…

The health and well-being of children and youth in care is the shared responsibility of many community partners. In addition to family and community involvement, two significant means of support for children and youth in care are the education system and the child welfare system. The Ministry of Education (EDUC), through public and independent…

The focus on multiple disciplines coming together to provide services, create products, and solve problems is growing worldwide. Higher education is no exception. This case study illustrates how academic disciplines can transition from a silo mentality to working collaboratively across disciplinary lines. A multiprofessional group of faculty…

Since the inception of Public Law 94-142, the delivery of services to children with exceptional learning needs (ELNs) has continually changed in an effort to provide optimal programming in least restrictive environments. The roles and responsibilities of teachers have also changed with the most dramatic changes likely seen in the roles of general…

Tuning, as a methodology, implies a philosophy of curriculum design, pedagogy, and assignment design. It implies that successful study in a discipline depends on intentional construction of learning experiences for students. Intentional construction of learning experiences requires an understanding of the learning goals set forth by faculty for…

The Community of Practice Continuum describes pathway teacher team practices that produce high-quality, outcomes-aligned assessments and units of instruction, a collaborative and accountable pathway culture, equitable access, and high achievement for all students.

We have witnessed, over the past century, an evolution in the manner in which students with disabilities are educated. Indeed, the quality of education students with special needs receive, in many ways, may be more aptly termed a revolution -- from a legal and pedagogical perspective. The tremendous strides special education has made during this…

This guide is a set of strategies and key practices with the ultimate goal of supporting students with the most intensive behavioral needs, their families, and educators in their transitions back to school during and following the global pandemic in a manner that prioritizes their health and safety, social and emotional needs, and behavioral and…