The Summer Curriculum Writing Institute (SCWI) supports graduates of a university-based teacher education program during the induction years and beyond with the aim of impacting teacher quality. The purpose of this article is to describe the development, goals, research, and lessons learned during SCWI from 2005-12. The week focuses around the…

The Texas statewide assessment of academic skills in 1997 indicated that >55 % of the student population failed to master the mathematics objectives set by the test criteria and 42 % of the mathematics teachers at the secondary level in the East Texas region were categorized as underqualified to teach mathematics at that level. The issue of…

In an initiative designed to help teachers meet the Highly Qualified Teacher requirement of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the Arlington Independent School District (AISD) in Arlington, Texas has partnered with Texas Woman's University (TWU) to offer a master's degree in reading to any teachers working in Title I schools. This initiative is…

This paper describes a zero budget alternative to state-funded induction programs in Texas: the Beginning Teacher Academy (BTA). BTA culminates the third phase of a three-phase (initiation, implementation, induction) professional development model. (IAH)

This report examines the first generation of professional development schools (PDSs) sponsored by the Centers for Professional Development of Teachers (CPDT) in Texas, noting challenges faced, issues raised, and lessons learned. Section 1 offers an introduction and overview. Section 2 presents the background of the PDS. Section 3, Texas CPDT and…

This book examines the current standard practice of confining teacher preparation to 4 years of coursework, examining the growing interest in career-spanning teacher education. There are 12 chapters. Section 1, "Collaboration: Building Bridges to Transform Institutional Cultures," includes: "Overview and Framework" (Linda…

This report describes teacher education programs, courses, and school-based experiences being collaboratively planned and implemented in Texas. The programs represent efforts to eliminate dissonance between what preservice teachers are prepared to do and what they are expected to do as student and inservice teachers. The report describes…

This report examines the effectiveness of Texas' Centers for Professional Development of Teachers (CPDTs) in addressing diversity as part of educational excellence. The state board of education's five proficiencies for teachers provide the framework within which the report describes program characteristics. For each proficiency, the report…