A study in two El Paso (Texas) elementary school two-way bilingual education programs investigated factors in learning through first and second language, analyzed teacher development in a context of complex change, and identified promising school structures for collaborative professional development for these teachers. Of the 24 participating…

This report is a formative evaluation of the use of an online listserv discussion group as part of a continuing project with schools exploring or implementing interdisciplinary teamed instruction (ITI). A survey was developed to identify member characteristics, what services were liked and used most, and what services were desired. Analysis of 59…

This digest presents recommendations for a staff development program for a multilingual multicultural teaching staff that has been tested and shown to be effective. Effective instruction in bilingual and multicultural schools requires that teachers combine a sophisticated knowledge of subject matter with a wide repertoire of teaching strategies…

An approach to integrating classroom instruction of subject area content and a second language is outlined. In the integrated classroom, teams of language and content specialists bring their expertise to course planning, teaching, and assessment, and work together in the same classroom for each session. The approach was constructed by drawing on…

This paper describes the COILS (Co-taught Integrated Learning System) program at Boyne City (Michigan) High School. The program utilizes the sequentially based computer programs of the Integrated Learning System (ILS) as well as the co-teaching model to integrate special education students into regular classes in the areas of English, Applied…

Project OWLink is a teledistance project linking Rice University (Texas) to five Texas schools (one K-8 and four high schools) with a two-way audio/video and Internet connectivity, creating an interactive electronic community of teachers and students. Initiated in June 1994, the project has experimented with nontraditional models of distance…

This paper examines the process by which an immediate access-to-technology environment influences the frequency, form, and substance of collegial interaction among classroom teachers. The longitudinal study, part of the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow project, covers a 5-year period and utilizes data from 32 elementary and secondary teachers in five…

This document is a guide for small school districts that are interested in using a nongraded arrangement at the elementary school level. Nongrading recognizes that children learn at different rates and in different ways and allows them to progress as individuals rather than classes. A 4-year phase-in approach eases implementation of the nongraded…

A survey of 131 Canadian elementary school teachers teaching in open areas sought to discover the extent to which open education concepts were being implemented and to solicit their opinions about a variety of problems and issues related to implementation. The survey asked teachers to rate their current situation and personal preferences on 11…

The limits inherent in field experiences are significant challenges to teacher educators in preservice teachers' preparation. One key challenge is having preservice teachers understand the complexities of what happens in the classroom. This article describes lessons we have learned through the creation of a multimedia case study that have given us…

This practicum intervention was designed to improve the effectiveness of a middle school's interdisciplinary teams. While the school's sixth grade teams were judged to be effective in implementing the district's philosophy, two seventh grade and two eighth grade teams, composed of 18 teachers and 588 students, were among 70 interdisciplinary teams…

A survey of 136 junior high and middle school teachers focused primarily on teachers' knowledge about and opinions relative to curriculum and teaching strategies appropriate for the early adolescent or transescent. The teachers came from four states (Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania), taught in schools in four socio-economic settings, and…

A study examined the feelings and attitudes of preservice teachers toward the use of videotaping as a means of self-appraisal of a teaching experience, attempting also to discern how they viewed the videotaping process in affective terms, and to determine students' perceptions of the value of videotaping as an instructional tactic. An…

This paper examines teachers' attitudes toward issues central to the establishment and functioning of professional development schools in Jefferson County, Kentucky. These issues are teacher effectiveness and teacher empowerment. Like the professional development school concept itself, the research reported is collaborative. Both quantitative and…

The education literature has increasingly called for collaboration between teachers as a way to enhance the quality of teaching. In the TESOL field, content-based language teaching and English for Specific Purposes approaches are being more widely adopted. These developments call for increased collaboration between language teachers and colleagues…