The BRIDGE project: Bridging the gap between university and schools

BRIDGE (Being Responsive to Individual Differences in General Education) is a partnership between university faculty and two elementary schools, focusing on the collaborative practices and programs in general and special education. University faculty have adopted new roles as facilitators, rather than ''experts,'' in working side by side with teachers seeking to increase their sense of professional efficacy. Teachers at the two sites collaborate with university faculty and each other in acquiring new information and practices within four initiative areas. The four initiatives, designed generally to support professional development toward meeting the needs of struggling students, are (a) collaboration between special and general education, (b) family liaisons, (c) teacher research, and (d) teacher education. University student teachers at these two schools receive their clinical education in settings ripe with teacher inquiry, collaboration, and ongoing development of new and creative strategies.