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What distinguishes effective teachers of at-risk or highly mobile students was the essential question addressed in this study. We conducted a cross-case analysis of US national or state award-winning teachers who taught in schools with student populations characterized as highly mobile, homeless, and=or high poverty. Six teachers meeting the criteria were selected as participants. Frameworks of effective teaching characteristics were adapted from prior research and from a review of the literature to gather on-site classroom observational and interview data from participating teachers. The data were examined in light of extant research related to teaching at-risk or highly mobile students and yielded information regarding beliefs and practices. Teachers' interview responses focused on 2 main areas of teacher effectiveness: the importance of student-teacher relationships and instructional delivery. These teachers emphasized affective and academic needs in their planning, instruction, and assessment. They had high expectations of students and were committed to ensuring that students had what they needed to succeed. Teachers maintained high student engagement and used a variety of instructional activities and a wide range of cognitive levels in the questions asked during their instruction which was primarily teacher-directed. Additional research into effective teaching and working with at-risk or highly mobile students is recommended.The question of effective teaching has been researched for decades; nonetheless, understanding what is necessary for effective teaching remains crucial for enhanced student learning. Extensive work has been done in synthesizing what is known about the qualities of effective teachers, in general (Stronge, 2007). However, little evidence has been assimilated regarding the qualities of effective teachers of at-risk or highly mobile students.In this study, we identified six award-winning teachers of at-risk or highly mobile students, and then investigated and analyzed the actual teaching practices of the teachers and their beliefs about teaching. The purpose of the study was to examine what constitutes effective teaching-teaching Correspondence should be addressed to Patricia A. Popp,

Collaborative teaching, or co-teaching, is a service delivery option frequently being selected to support students with learning disabilities (LD) in general education classrooms. Despite a wealth of literature on collaborative teaching, little empirical data exist about this model. Moreover, little is known about the consumers of collaborative classes, that is, students and their parents. This article reports the findings of research employing focus groups to study the perspectives of students with and without LD and their parents regarding collaborative teaching. Responses of students and parents reflect a high level of satisfaction with the model, with students' self-esteem and academic understanding increasing. Concerns include poor communication regarding the model to parents, the need to ensure alternative models when students do not make progress in co-taught classrooms, and lack of continuity of the model across grade levels.

The issue of persistence of learning disabilities into the adult years was investigated. The study examined the self-reported comparisons of problems resulting from learning disabilities during school-age years (retrospectively) and in adult years. The responses of 133 adults categorized as highly successful and moderately successful in employment showed that both groups deteriorated markedly in the areas of functioning typically included in diagnostic and remediation efforts. This established a case for persistence and highlights an important issue for those who are directly or indirectly concerned about adults with learning disabilities.

Collaborative teaching is being used more and more in serving academically able students with disabilities, including a large number of students with learning disabilities. The focus of this article is a series of recommendations to improve collaborative teaching. The recommendations were generated as a result of an intensive study of collaborative teaching in elementary, middle, and high school programs through interviews with administrators, teachers, parents, and students. The recommendations are divided into (a) general recommendations addressing service delivery, administrative, and communication issues and (b) training recommendations for new and indirectly involved personnel, parents, and university pre-and inservice programs.