This study examined a differentiated, bottom-up approach to school improvement planning through exploration of the qualities that make up a highly effective school department team as it related to their ability to create and meet a student-centered, data driven high achievement goal. While there are a multitude of factors that affect the ability…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to seek descriptions from people included in, and excluded from, participating on transition teams for adolescents with intellectual disabilities entering adulthood in New Jersey. The theoretical framework included two theories to support this research. Faludi's Procedural Planning Theory…

Effective collaboration among family professional partnerships (FPPs) and work groups such as a multidisciplinary individualized education program (IEP) team has been identified as a critical characteristic in developing a specially designed program for students with a disability. Unfortunately, educators often do not feel prepared to interact and…

This mixed-methods phenomenological study examined elements that impact Individualized Education Program (IEP) team members in supporting placement for students with disabilities (SWD) in inclusive early childhood education programs. Best practices in education and federal law stipulate that schools educate SWD in settings as close to general…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive, single case study was to explore how K-8 teachers, lead teachers, and school administrators in an Arizona school district experienced shared leadership and described its influence on student and school success. The theoretical foundation that provided a lens for this study was the theory of shared…

The views of a transition/IEP team members of the collaborative efforts of each other have had little or limited viewing. Annually there are approximately six million special education students in the United States of America (Samuels, 2017). While in high school, these students and their transition/IEP team are tasked with preparing them for…

Co-teaching as a service delivery model requires a special education teacher and a general education teacher to efficiently and effectively collaborate in the same classroom, providing support to students with disabilities in the general education setting. With the vast changes and demands of the educator and the student population in today's…

A collaborative and inclusive Individualized Education Program (IEP) results in higher achievement for students, therefore, there is a societal need to better understand parent perspectives regarding this process. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how parents on an IEP team describe the influence of the four…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to determine how members of school leadership teams perceived the use of a school climate readiness assessment to inform and promote school climate for leadership teams in two K-12 schools in Arizona. Fifteen participants located in Central Arizona took part in this study to determine how…

As a result of federal legislation (ESSA, 2015) accreditation ratings of elementary schools are based on the performance of third through fifth grade students on the end of year assessments in the content subjects of reading and math. As a result of these requirements schools that fail to meet these standards are identified as Accreditation Denied…

Research outlines the importance of teacher candidates' clinical experiences in their preparation programs (e.g., Banks, 2015). Research also shows that many initial educators feel unprepared for the challenges of managing their own classrooms once they transition from their preparation programs to their school sites (e.g., Levine, 2006). Teachers…

The coteaching classroom has grown with the influx of special needs students in general education classrooms. New state and federal laws mandated the need for collaboration when instructing special education students, and middle school teachers in a Northern New Jersey school district are experiencing challenges with the implementation of…

This case study explored the role of a Professional Learning Team (PLT) in the planning, teaching, and assessment of inquiry-based learning in social studies with a single high school, world history PLT consisting of four teachers. Theories of constructivism and pedagogical content knowledge provided a framework for the study. Data were analyzed…

Although active parent involvement is mandated as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), parents continue to report dissatisfaction with IEP meetings. Despite increases in parent participation policy since the adoption of IDEA, the parent-professional partnership originally envisioned by lawmakers is arguably not…

Problem: Interdisciplinary teaming has been noted as a critical element of the middle school model associated with higher student achievement. Yet, research on middle school teams' use of common planning time suggests that the majority of meeting time is spent discussing student behavior/issues, discussing student learning problems/issues, and…