All but four states in the nation now permit teachers to come into the profession through an "alternate route," compared to only a few 30 years ago. Alternate routes into the classroom have grown so acceptable that about one in five teachers now enters the profession through one of these programs, which offer some real benefits to the…

We examine access to effective teachers for low-income students in 26 geographically dispersed school districts over a 5-year period. We measure teacher effectiveness using a value-added model that accounts for measurement error in prior test scores and peer effects. Differences between the average value added of teachers of high- and low-income…

This study addresses how rehearsals of teaching could support teachers in developing mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT). The analysis of 30 rehearsals, from elementary methods courses in 3 teacher education programs, attends to what novice teachers and teacher educators did in rehearsal that enlisted MKT. The findings elaborate the tasks…

Mentoring for early career teachers is well-documented. Less research exists on formal mentoring for pre-service teachers, but early attrition rates are so alarming that we cannot afford to lose any time in preparing novices for the challenges they will face. This research explored mentoring support provided to pre-service, or novice, teachers in…

The perspectives of both teachers and principals are valuable in understanding to what extent recent graduates from formal educator preparation programs are ready to take on teaching roles and tasks as a teacher. The understanding gained may contribute to bettering initiatives targeted on teacher retention, particularly in those critical beginning…

This reflective narrative explores the voices of two participants in the Early Childhood Professional Mentoring Group (ECPMG), created in response to our graduates' concerns about their lack of support as they entered the field of inclusive early childhood education. Building on their existing relationships with each other, and with us as their…

Leaders in the business community often talk about the "skills gap," the gap between the skills needed for good jobs in the economy and the skills that prospective employees possess. Though there is debate as to whether or not such a gap actually exists, the idea of the "skills gap" can be a helpful way to frame instances where…

This longitudinal study explores how one university's practice-based teacher preparation program prepared literacy teachers to develop practical knowledge for teaching and how that knowledge was tested and adapted in the first years of teaching. To understand change, we identified and analyzed points of tension, challenge, or dissonance in the…

This article describes a small-scale quantitative study that explored levels of satisfaction within a sample of student teachers at two points in time. A first questionnaire was completed during students' final year at an English university and comprised of questions relating to their satisfaction with school experience. A second was conducted…

After Ava McCall retired from university teaching in June, 2015, she spent the 2015-2016 school year volunteering in a fourth-grade classroom helping to teach Wisconsin history. Her volunteer work was similar to other retired teachers in the local school district who returned to mentor new teachers, volunteer in classrooms, and serve as substitute…

Novice special education teachers have become an integral part of the public and private school systems throughout Pennsylvania. This mixed-methods research study explored the expertise and preparedness of current novice special education teachers. A combination of an electronic survey questionnaire and phone and face-to-face interviews were…

The purpose of the study is to gain a better understanding of how a beginning elementary teacher conceptualized technology integration and the degree to which technology can be infused in her pedagogy during her first two years of teaching. This beginning first-grade teacher, Lily, was chosen because she was considered as a well-prepared beginning…

Located in the Republic of Ireland, and drawing on "figured worlds theory" (Holland et al. 1998), the focus of this paper relates to the shaping of positional identities among a cohort of novice elementary teachers, during their initial year of workplace practice, post-graduation. The concept of "figured worlds" helps make…

This longitudinal research explored beginning elementary classroom teachers' beliefs about learning to teach physical education (PE) across time. Understanding how beliefs shape the process of learning to teach PE can inform the design of more impactful physical education teacher education (PETE). We mapped beliefs over six years including the…

Given the importance of novice teacher experiences and their long-term effects in the field, this cross-cultural exploratory study investigates the challenges of 34 novice Turkish and Polish English teachers and how they develop their professional understanding in the early years of teaching. The participants were non-native novice English…