Practitioner beliefs about and understanding of natural environment interventions were examined. Sixteen early intervention practitioners from two programs in a southeastern state were interviewed about their understanding and use of natural environments as sources of learning opportunities for young children. Practitioners in one program had…

Student diversity in classrooms is on the rise and with it, a need for teachers who recognize the needs of diverse student populations. Teacher retention is a national crisis, with teachers of color at especially high risk for leaving the teaching profession early. This case study describes a collaborative mentoring approach used by a primary…

Some teachers are sick of struggling with parents of children in their care? They dread upcoming conferences, and with they knew how to approach a difficult. This book will help turn parent worries into warm, confident relationships. The reader will learn how to: (1) Improve parent-teacher communication; (2) Better understand a parent's…

The focus of this article is to describe a social organization of instruction and identify the conditions and contexts of critical classroom inquiry that are essential components of contemporary teacher education programs. Novice teachers must develop both the need to know and dispositions for knowing in order to move away from…

The child care workforce is changing. More than ever before, directors must contend with faculty whose educational levels, job expectations, and career aspirations differ widely. Teachers vary in their experience, professional demeanor, stages in career development, and most recently, generational differences that impact the significance and…

The 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act requires states to report annually to the U.S. Department of Education the number of prospective teachers at each of their teacher training institutions who pass the state's tests for licensure. However, the law left decisions on what licensure tests to require, what to assess on them, and their…

The purpose of this study was to explore the philosophical basis of novice preschool teachers in South Korea and how this pedagogical orientation was reflected in their classrooms. Through interviews and observations, this research gave Korean preschool teachers the opportunity to voice their beliefs about child-centered pedagogy, and illuminated…

Students in early childhood teacher education programs are expected to know, plan curriculum, and teach within several sets of content area, national, state, and local, learning standards. Understanding where these standards originated and why they are important within the context of classroom practice will help new teachers begin their careers…

This article explores the experiences of six First-year teachers working in the broad, cross-categorical field of early childhood special education. A multicase approach provided insight into the complexity of teachers' roles and work with young children with special needs in a range of settings, with children of various ages and developmental…

The report presents data and discussion on U.S. education across sectors, as well as the work of the Office of Education in 1970. Among additional topics covered are charges of U.S. education's inefficiency, unresponsiveness, and aloofness from great societal issues; education research; the federal role in education; education and the U.S.…

This document contains the third volume of the proceedings of the 30th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Conference presentations are centered around the theme "Mathematics at the Centre." This volume features 60 research reports by presenters with last names beginning between Ead and Kou:…

Close to 1,100 people attended the 55th Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, Florida from November 30-December 3, 2005. A record number of proposals were submitted this year (548), with 392 papers, symposia, and round tables accepted. This year's conference theme was inclusiveness and synthesis…

Most school districts do not have a full time human resources administrator to conduct interviews and this important task most often becomes the responsibility of the building principal or a department head. Here is a guide designed for hiring employees, both professional staff as well as non-professional, in public, parochial, or private schools.…

This document presents the proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA). The theme of this conference is "Navigating Currents and Charting Directions." The theme reminds us that, although we are constantly pushed to account for the quality and impact of our research, we…

This volume of the 30th annual proceedings of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education conference presents: plenary panel papers; research forum papers; short oral communication papers; and poster presentation papers from the meeting. Information relating to discussion groups and working sessions is also provided.…