Teacher education faculty at the University of Houston are collaborating with the staff at five elementary schools on an action research project. The evolution of the project is traced from its origins in the professional preparation program through the second year of work with the leader ship teams of the schools. Five dimensions of professional learning are identified: leadership, temporal and physical structures, individuals, interpersonal relationships, and synergy. Data from the second year of the project are considered in terms of the five dimensions. Implications of the project for developing a more collaborative, action-oriented approach to teacher educa tion that can be carried through the novice years of teaching and beyond are discussed.

Over 2800 clinical strains of the Bacteroides fragilis group were collected during a 5-year period from ten geographically separate sites and tested for their susceptibility to various antimicrobial agents using a broth microdilution method. Among the cephalosporins, ceftizoxime was the most active (13% resistance) and importantly exhibited relatively equal activity against both B. fragilis species and non-B. fragilis species. Cefotaxime exhibited similar activity with an overall resistance rate of 18%. Both ceftriaxone and cefoperazone were appreciably less active cephalosporins especially against non-B. fragilis species. With regard to cephamycins, cefoxitin (MIC90, 32 micrograms/ml) was more active than cefotetan (MIC90, > or = 256 micrograms/ml) and cefmetazole (MIC90, 64 micrograms/ml). Non-B. fragilis species were highly resistant to cefotetan and cefmetazole. Imipenem was highly active against all strains with the exception of four strains of B. fragilis. Ampicillin-sulbactam, amoxicillin-clavulanate, piperacillin-tazobactam, and cefoperazone-sulbactam were all highly active with resistance rates < 2%. No resistance was detected to metronidazole, whereas 14% of isolates were resistant to clindamycin. When compared with other studies, these findings underscore the wide variability in susceptibility patterns reported nationwide and the need to continue monitoring these patterns to aid in choosing the most active compounds for therapy.

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Role interactions among teams from five schools and one university team are discussed within the context of a collaborative project entitled "Time for Reflection: A Project in Collaborative Leadership for Working More Effectively in Multicultural Settings.'' Interactions were coded into the categories of role ambiguity; negotiation; conflict; overload; and consensus among teachers, principals, and university staff members. Although no dramatic changes in role definition were documented, a general progression from ambiguity to consensus on the value of teacher participation in school-wide decision making was noted across all five schools. Rate and character of change were affected by district policies, administrative support within each building, and negotiations with the university team. RENEE CLIFT is an associate professor in the department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 311 Education, 1310 S. Sixth St., Champaign, IL 61820. Her specializations are teacher education and contextual effects on teacher learning. MARLENE JOHNSON is a doctoral student in the department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204. Her specializations are special education and teacher leadership. PATRICIA HOLLAND is an assistant professor in the department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Studies at the University of Houston, 401 Farish Hall, Houston, TX 77204. Her specializations are instructional supervision and teachers' professional development.