This article focuses on teacher leadership in a school for children with profound disabilities and learning difficulties. The narratives of development work led by three teachers are drawn upon to explore how the teacher-led development work methodology as it is deployed in the context of a master programme can be used to support change in a…

Team teaching can be a valuable means of enabling cross-disciplinary collaboration, interdisciplinary study, and pedagogical innovation, but the logistical and intellectual challenges can seem too daunting to overcome. Here, we share the story of how four faculty members from professional writing, communications, and computing sciences developed a…

Teacher leaders are positioned to help other teachers reflect on their practice, try new pedagogical approaches, and work through instruction-related struggles--ultimately, leading to a change in instructional practice. In order to be effective in their new leadership roles, however, teacher leaders need support in developing leadership skills and…

Social studies teachers often find themselves in search of professional development that transforms lessons from facts, figures, and boldfaced vocabulary to lessons that develop the sophisticated thinking skills students need to make sense of the social issues of one's everyday world. Furthermore, teachers want their own learning to be similar to…

Explore the practical steps teacher teams must take to establish clear, comprehensive assessment systems that guide instruction and strengthen PLCs. This book has the capacity to reignite passion and energy assessment practices bring as tools to guide teaching and learning. Strengthen instructional agility in professional learning communities with…

Finding time for job-embedded professional learning is one of the most frequently cited challenges with implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). With "Establishing Time for Professional Learning," practitioners and education leaders use tools to identify current allocations of time for professional learning, analyze how that…

In light of shifting demographics in today's classrooms, the faculty at Springfield College recognized a need to revamp their teacher licensure program to incorporate a leadership component. The journey began with a self-evaluation process and culminated with creation of a dual licensure program in elementary and special education to encourage…

Partnerships between local education agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) allow individual organizations to leverage their assets as well as expand and enhance their own knowledge bases. Two of the more prominent types of LEA-IHE partnerships in special education are Alternative Route to Certification programs and…

With the proliferation of alternative route (AR) special education teacher preparation programs, many teacher educators are likely to be involved in AR program design and implementation. Unfortunately, few resources have focused on best practices for program developers to prepare the nontraditional participants who typically populate their…

A case is made that professional development activities in science, when designed as generic programs, can limit pathways individual teachers may take or even select to meet their specific professional development needs. Teacher professional development programs in science have consistently been designed to address system wide needs. These needs…

This report highlights the experiences of the Lighthouse Project, which successfully included students with disabilities in elementary, middle, and high school general education classes in a school district in southwest Tennessee. Drawing on findings from the Lighthouse Project, the report describes the following seven steps that must be present…

This article describes a graduate program that uses an interdisciplinary approach to prepare early intervention practitioners to work with young children with autism, severe physical impairments, and other low incidence disabilities. The program features joint course work across the Schools of Medicine and Education and seminars on collaboration…

This article describes the Dual License Teacher Preparation Program at the University of New Mexico and the national and state context within which it was developed and continues to evolve. Graduates of the program are eligible for licensure in general education (K-8) and special education (K-12). Teacher collaboration is highlighted. (Contains…

Describes a successful pilot teacher collaboration program that was designed to help regular education teachers, related service personnel, and staff to meet the needs of an increasing population of at-risk students who displayed significant learning or behavior problems but who did not qualify for special education services. (CR)

Discusses mentoring as a professional development strategy to meet the needs of experienced and novice practitioners. Defines mentoring and differentiates it from supervision. Discusses the following aspects of early childhood mentoring programs: (1) goals and assumptions; (2) design and structure, including mentor qualifications and training; (3)…