Demographic changes in college graduates who received teaching certificates between 1975 and 1985 are assessed. The effects of demographic characteristics, subject specialties, and scores on National Teacher Examinations on certificants becoming teachers in North Carolina are examined. Results highlight the need for more Black college students to…

Carolina PALS (Programmed Alternative Learning for Students) is a program designed to meet the educational, social, and emotional needs of students with mild disabilities in grades 3-10, by having one special education teacher and one regular teacher share teaching in the regular classroom. In 1992-93, the program operated in 50 schools, reaching…

Reports a study of North Carolina elementary and middle school teachers' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in assisting children of alcoholics (COAs), their need for additional training, and their perceptions of school-based assistance for COAs. Survey results indicated teachers were willing to help but desired training. (SM)

This guide is intended as a resource for school or school district leadership teams who desire to rethink the teacher evaluation process. Three chapters address the task of designing a teacher evaluation system that encourages self-reflection and continuous improvement, as well as the personal and professional growth of experienced teachers. The…

State-sponsored programs that seek to attract college students to teaching by student financial aid, primarily through loan "forgiveness," are discussed, based on a survey of chief state school officers. The programs have focused on loans, and the most commonly employed form of assistance enables the recipient to repay a portion of the…

The regular certification of arts and science graduates who have not completed the necessary professional education courses has become state policy recently in several states and others are considering it. These four studies provide data on two research questions related to this policy: (1) What, if any, differences in scores on teacher…

This study, authorized by the General Assembly of North Carolina, investigated current indicators of the state of youth physical fitness and the availability and utilization of programs to improve fitness. The study gathered testimony from physical fitness experts, educators, administrators, and medical personnel. The study found that youth are in…

This research study developed a value-added instructional improvement analysis model. North Carolina state testing results were used in regression and residual analyses of student achievement. This analysis allowed for identification of the "most effective" and "least effective" biology teachers in Wake County Public Schools…

This monograph reports on a survey of middle level teacher preparation, based on the 1992 "Windows of Opportunity" study and on a modified Delphi process which identified a pool comprised of members of the Center for Early Adolescence and others. These educators were asked to rate the 33 recommendations from the "Windows of…

The Vocational Competency Achievement Tracking System (VoCATS) in North Carolina is a competency-based instructional management system that allows the collection of data on student performance achievement before, during, and after instruction. A preliminary pilot study was conducted to evaluate the implementation of the VoCATS program with…

In this final report of an 18-month series of projects designed to investigate the validity of the General Knowledge (GK) and Communications Skills (CS) tests of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) for North Carolina, highlights and major conclusions are summarized and appropriate standards of performance are recommended. Evidence was…

This report provides information on selected characteristics of certified public school employees between 1980-81 and 1990-91. Information on certified personnel in 1989-90 was not available. Certified employees are grouped into function areas such as teachers, principals, guidance counselors, etc., based on each person's primary work assignment.…

Twelve North Carolina colleges and universities received state funds to support 3-year pilot programs related to clinical teaching in teacher education. Descriptions of the 12 programs, collectively known as the Model Clinical Teaching Network, are given in this report. These pilot projects include one or more of the following features: use of…

This document presents the proceedings of an annual educational research forum held at Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) on December 10, 2003. A table of contents and 31 research studies of high school teaching are included. The following studies are included: (1) No, Seriously: Humor Use by High School Social Studies Teachers…