Given the national shortage of special educators, many are entering the profession through alternative certification, assuming full responsibility for classrooms or caseloads before they are fully licensed as special education teachers. This qualitative study explores the support provided to beginning alternative certification teachers in a…

A substantial and growing body of research suggests that strong school leadership is critical for shaping productive learning environments, supporting high-quality teachers and teaching, and influencing student outcomes. But what characteristics contribute to high-quality principal preparation programs and learning experiences? And to what extent…

Graduate students focus the majority of their time honing their research skills and knowledge in a very narrow area of expertise. They are sent off to postdoctoral positions where they continue to grow as scholars and scientific investigators. In most graduate programs, there is very little opportunity to train graduate students to become lecture…

The disparity between the demographics of California's community college students and faculty is striking. Specifically, underrepresented minority (URM) students represent the largest population at 49%, yet only 22% of faculty are URM. In 1992, legislation was passed to allow community colleges to establish Faculty Diversity Internship Programs…

In this study, I sought to identify differences in the views and understandings of engineering design among individuals along the learning-to-teach continuum. To do so, I conducted a comprehensive review of literature to determine the various aspects of engineering design described in the fields of professional engineering and engineering…

This study examined the differential effectiveness of three pathways to an elementary teaching credential across a large public university system. The study compared traditional campus-based, intern, and online credential programs across a 22-campus system using ratings of program preparation by 12,590 graduates after their first year of teaching…

This case study analyzes the use of library school interns on subject-based teams for the social sciences, humanities, and sciences in the San Jose State University Library. Interns worked closely with team librarians on reference, collection development/management, and instruction activities. In a structured focus group, interns reported that the…

The CollegeKeys Compact[TM] is a national call to action to school districts, colleges and universities, state education agencies, and nonprofit organizations to identify, share and expand programs and practices that address the needs and challenges of low-income students and help them get ready for, get into and get through college. The College…

The California Legislature has funded three programs to help beginning teachers enter credentialed programs or complete internship and induction programs. The Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program has three models: classroom teachers as support providers, full-time teacher release, and part-time teacher release. Benefits and drawbacks…

This report describes results from a longitudinal study of the effectiveness of District Intern Programs on California's alternative teacher certification. Data came from classroom observations, reviews of program documents, questionnaires, and interviews with district interns, mentors, principals, administrators, instructors, and union officials.…

This report discusses a 2-year evaluation of the California Early Childhood Mentor Teacher Program (CECMTP), in which experienced child care teachers serve as mentors, using their classroom as a practicum environment to train student teachers. The evaluation assessed the extent to which CECMTP goals were met by answering the following three…

The possibility of differences between beginning teachers and intern teachers (alternatively certified) during their first years of teaching in the elementary classroom was explored. Data was collected from 66 beginning teachers (recent graduates) and 58 intern students (intern teachers) from a California State University campus regarding…