Rebecca Ashe, a first-year mathematics teacher at North Hills High School, considered herself well-prepared after her university preparation. She is energetic and dedicated to her students, providing real-world examples in her classes from past experiences as an engineer. After 3 months in the classroom, however, Rebecca had become disheartened…

The purpose of this 3-year investigation was to determine if a relationship exists between teacher reflectivity and the classroom performance of novice teachers when final evaluations are aligned with national standards. This study included 98 novice teachers enrolled in their final field-based teaching experience. Participants reflected over two…

This book includes step-by-step instructions to help experienced teachers become just as skilled at mentoring beginning teachers as they are at teaching. It describes how teacher mentors can: relate to their proteges in ways that establish good working rapport; assess how the mentoring is progressing and make necessary adjustments; coach proteges…

Nine articles by California educators are included in this guidebook for the planning and implementation of beginning teacher support programs, with a focus on improving teacher quality and retention. An explicit relationship between the conceptual framework and the operational program increases the effectiveness of such programs. Chapters titles…

This book presents a guide for setting up a new teacher mentoring program. Chapter 1, "Relating," stresses the important part a relationship plays in the mentoring process. A set of introspective exercises teaches ways to establish trust and pay attention to nonverbal communication. Chapter 2, "Assessing," provides ways to gather and diagnose data…

This brief describes workplace conditions in "learning centered" schools, where practices are consistent with recent research knowledge about learning and its contexts. Its purpose is to support fundamental, long-term change by offering a vision of best practice for educators to consider, discuss, and adapt to their circumstances. It summarizes…

The Beginning Teacher Assistance Program was adopted by the Virginia Board of Education to ensure that teachers certified by the state demonstrate the minimum competencies necessary to perform satisfactorily. The first section of this booklet describes the program's assessment component and lists the 14 competencies teachers are expected to…

Uses journal entries to trace a student teacher's professional development during her student teaching assignment. These entries address a number of issues, including team teaching, decision making, consistency with students, lesson and curriculum planning, and classroom discipline. Includes a series of suggested poststudent teaching activities.…

This guide for beginning teachers provides assistance in the following areas: (1) "Physical Environment and Materials" (e.g., room arrangement and bulletin boards); (2) "Setting Expectations" (e.g., rules and consequences and early parent communication); (3) "First Days of School" (e.g., activities and teacher daily…

This document responds to the components of North Carolina's Excellent Schools Act that pertain to mentoring. The first section includes tools for the selection of mentors: a listing of mentor selection criteria, a mentor nomination form, a faculty survey instrument for mentor candidates, interview questions for mentors, a mentor application form,…

This book presents a conceptual model that supports a comprehensive program for professional development and evaluation. "The Professional Educator Development Model" is a framework that includes both a reconceptualization of teachers' roles and renewed consideration of how teachers' beliefs and desired student outcomes influence teacher…

The quality of teacher preparation is frequently under public scrutiny. In this collection, experts in literacy teacher preparation offer ten truths--based on evidence, not ideology-- that support the ongoing positive efforts of teacher educators. In this book, the reader will find: A review of the existing knowledge base; Evidence of the improved…

The project described in this report was conducted at Temple University (Pennsylvania) to design a collegial process and the necessary instructional materials to enable the practicing vocational educator to engage in professional development with a commitment to a formative approach. The project attempted to bring inservice vocational teacher…

This book provides mentors with a step-by-step action guide through the complexities of the school-based mentoring process. Ten chapters discuss: (1) "Introduction: First Things First" (e.g., roles for cooperating teachers, support providers, and peer coaches or mentors); (2) "Teacher Development" (e.g., concerns and reflections of student…

This book provides teachers with practical information for managing their work both in and out of the classroom. Highlights include advice on more than 80 subjects, book suggestions and games for the classroom, suggestions to help veteran teachers stay motivated and avoid burnout, and tips for new teachers on the first day and first week of school…