Rural school leaders are faced with challenges to close the achievement gap between subgroups, mainly general and special education. Schools and school systems face several barriers to move forward with positive trends in the data provided by the Alabama State Department of Education. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions…

Collaboration is one of the most important aspects of the role of the school librarian in the twenty-first century, but, for many reasons, collaboration is challenging to implement. Some classroom teachers may not know how students benefit from the classroom-school library collaboration. Others may be unwilling to relinquish control of their…

With respect to co-teaching, there is a lack of empirical research at the high school level. Furthermore, few researchers have considered asking high school co-teachers to share their beliefs and perceptions about what makes co-teaching a successful model. To fulfill both the needs of students who are educated in co-taught classrooms and the lofty…

Current emphasis on teacher effectiveness in educational policy poses a challenge for the evaluation of special education teachers and English language learner (ELL) specialists. Most evaluation systems focus on student achievement and teacher practice; however, few systems have the capacity to differentiate among specialty area educators, address…

Teachers who work together to blend academic and career/technical (CT) instruction have found a key to motivating students to complete high school and prepare for college, advanced training and careers. This newsletter highlights key strategies schools are using to join academic and technical studies to advance student motivation and achievement.…

Reform efforts in response to the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms have become necessary to shift students' placements into the science classroom. An investigation into the effects of co-teaching in high school biology classrooms was conducted to explore the impact of two models of co-teaching on biology…

A SUMMER PROGRAM WAS CONDUCTED TO SERVE AS A MODEL FOR EDUCATORS WHOSE INTEREST LAY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NONGRADED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM. EDUCATORS FROM APPROXIMATELY 35 PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS WERE INVITED TO OBSERVE THE PROGRAM. THE SCHOOL CONSISTED OF 80 CHILDREN 6 TO 12 YEARS OLD, AND A GROUP OF 20 CHILDREN 5 YEARS OLD. THE EMPHASIS WAS…

On May 22, 2002, Bobby Frank Cherry, the last suspect in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The church bombing, which killed Denise McNair, 11, and three 14-year-olds, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, on Sunday, September 15, had…

The Northwest Alabama Cooperative Project here reported was funded under Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This project was oriented toward the reorganization of classrooms to include team teaching and continuous progress, improved subject matter skills, and improved understanding of individuals and individual differences. This project was…

The article describes two elementary level basic skills programs operating in Alabama, one tailored for and operating throughout the state, and the other funded for 10 Appalachian Alabama schools by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The article details the way two schools use their ARC funds. (SB)

This paper discusses the findings of a study that examined the perceptions of 270 elementary school principals about a new Alabama certification model which abolishes categorical certification areas in special education and creates a generic "Collaborative Teacher" certification. Results indicate the most frequent special education…

WAYS IN WHICH GUIDANCE COUNSELORS CAN HELP TEACHERS DEVELOP ABILITY IN GUIDANCE WERE ASSESSED IN THIS STUDY, PRIMARILY BASED ON DATA COLLECTED DURING 1957-58, WITH RECENT PERTINENT DATA ADDED. DESCRIPTIONS AND EVALUATIONS WERE MADE OF SUCH IN SERVICE EDUCATION METHODS AS STAFF MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, PROFESSIONAL READING AND ASSOCIATIONS, TEAM…