The purpose of this study was to describe school working conditions perceived by beginning teachers about their first year of teaching in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The specific working conditions that were examined were those identified in the research as contributing to either teacher retention or attrition. The researcher developed three…

Objective: The authors describe a developmental model for enhancing residency research training for careers in academic psychiatry. Over the past 10 years, the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry has developed a research track (RT) for its residents. While the Department's plan has been to address the critical need of training…

In this report, three specific questions guide the analyses that follow: (1) To what degree has the School District of Philadelphia upgraded the teaching credentials of its teachers? (2) How well has the district succeeded in reducing teacher attrition and increasing the experience level of its workforce? (3) Have district efforts since the state…

Results are presented of a survey conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education into the development of teaching skills and abilities of recent graduates of performance based teacher preparation programs and into their perceptions of the characteristics of these programs. The survey instrument was divided into two sections. Section One…

This article shares the results of a study that explored the need, and consequential birth, of a new teacher support group for newly graduated elementary education majors. Constructed of a university supervisor and five newly graduated novice teacher's, this study examines their first semester as classroom teachers. Research related to the…

In the fall of 2007, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) was invited by Philadelphia's School Reform Commission to conduct a Strategic Professional Development Review for the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). ERS is a nonprofit organization that is nationally recognized for its extensive work in partnering with urban school districts to make…

A project was conducted to develop a summer institute for new (up to 2 years' experience) adult education teachers in Pennsylvania. During the first phase of the project, the institute was designed as a 3-day intensive training session consisting of 14 workshops (most presented twice), and teachers were recruited. The second phase of the project…

Offers results of a study of the perceived problems of beginning elementary and secondary music teachers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Reports that teachers were comfortable with their responsibilities, except for budgeting and continuing musical growth. Indicates that new teachers appreciate mentor teacher support and discussion with…

A successful approach to orienting new vocational teachers coming directly from business and industry is the New Teacher Workshop at Pennsylvania State University. Intensive guidance and practice in preparing lessons is climaxed by the novice teacher's presentation (and peer evaluation) on closed circuit television. (MF)

This Pennsylvania edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on…

The purpose of this report is to provide education professors teaching early literacy methods courses with information for beginning teachers to support struggling first-grade readers. This analysis identifies the specific word structures children are expected to know by the end of first grade, and shows the actual learning rates of these…

Thirty-nine rural school districts in Pennsylvania responded to a survey designed to study new teacher induction programs. The total sample population of 392 included mentor/support teachers, inductees, and induction coordinators. Based on the survey data and information from 29 districts' documents, this report gives detailed descriptions of…

By describing and defending six assumptions about teacher education, the Pennsylvania Association of Liberal Arts Colleges for the Advancement of Teaching (PALACAT) defines the purposes, goals, needs, and foundations of teacher education. The role of research in teacher education and current practices in teacher education are analyzed, and a four…

A competency-based educational project was done to develop an inventory of the competencies that beginning teachers of industrial arts education (K-12) in Pennsylvania must demonstrate to meet standards for satisfactory performance. Three regional workshops were held where the participants, selected by a steering committee using specific criteria,…

The Pennsylvania State University served as the Pennsylvania Coordinator of Occupational Competency Assessment (OCA). It managed the Pennsylvania OCA Program, which provides the secondary public schools of the state with competent vocational instructors as a component of teacher preparation at Temple University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania,…