Increased public interest in education is attracting students and career-changers to the teaching profession. This ERIC Digest is organized into questions and answers dealing with teacher preparation: (1) What do teachers do? (2) What are working conditions like? (3) What academic preparation is needed; (4) Do I take courses after I receive my…

This digest examines the knowledge base for teaching, noting that many critical decisions about educational structure, policy, and assessment rely on it. The professionalization of teaching depends on showing that teaching requires mastery of a specialized body of knowledge that is applied ethically. Serious deliberation is needed in the…

Although the teaching of English as a second language (ESL) is a relatively new profession, it is an old activity. Until World War II, ESL instruction in the United States was irregular. In 1940, the first ESL teachers enrolled in a University of Michigan training program based on structural or descriptive linguistics. The Army Language School…

This document presents a qualitative research study and an annotated bibliography on the characteristics of superlative teachers. For "A Qualitative Study of Excellence in Teaching," Herbert Van Schaack selected and observed nine elementary and secondary school teachers and three college and university professors. The elementary and secondary…

This study, part of the Colorado Science Meta-Analysis Project, was designed to assess the effectiveness of teacher education programs on preservice and inservice teachers having as measured outcomes one or more variables associated with inquiry teaching. Inquiry teaching within the context of the study addresses teacher behaviors facilitating…

This digest examines the community college's role in helping to fill the current and projected shortage of public school teachers due to increases in the number of teachers retiring and students enrolling. Teacher shortages are most evident in both urban and rural school districts and in the fields of science, mathematics and technology. The…

This Digest introduces dance as an art form characterized by use of the human body as a vehicle of expression. Organized into three sections, the first examines the rationale for dance programs in education, presenting opportunities for development of critical thinking and analytical skills; cooperation and teamwork; self-expression and…

This digest describes three teacher education program models designed to concentrate on: (1) a philosophy of middle school education; (2) an understanding of the unique psychological, social, and intellectual needs peculiar to the 10- to 14-year-old student; (3) an ability to increase student motivation; and (4) a command of subject area. The…

This digest, addressed to prospective teachers, consists of questions and answers that provide information on such topics as teachers' responsibilities, how to become a teacher, teacher supply and demand, salaries, and working conditions. References are included. (JD)

The significance of competency assessment for schools of education is explored with emphasis on developments at the state level and in specific teacher education programs. Multidimensional quality indicators of teacher preparation programs are suggested in the first paper. Other papers present an overview of state legislative reactions to…

Vocational-technical teacher education has followed a different preparation path since the Smith-Hughes Act established a separate system for vocational training. This path has been increasingly challenged by end-of-the-century changes in the workplace and new knowledge about teaching and learning. This paper reviews reform initiatives in teacher…

The 1989 Charlottesville Education Summit of the nation's governors resulted in the National Education Goals which describe six priorities (readiness for school; high school completion; student achievement; world leadership in science and math; adult literacy; and safe, disciplined, and drug free schools) for public schools to achieve by the year…

This journal issue focuses on the role of the community college in training K-12 teachers. The chapters included in this volume are as follows: (1) "Community College Roles in Teacher Education: Current Approaches and Future Possibilities," by Townsend and Ignash; (2) "Transfer Issues in Preservice Undergraduate Teacher Education…

While the major thrust of this monograph is to recommend procedures for the preparation of teachers, it is also emphasized that educational reform and school improvement depend upon the realistic clarification of the separate and interdependent roles of society and the parents of students. This report presents recommendations for improving teacher…

Criticisms of teacher education, the low economic and political costs of trying to reform schools by reforming teacher education, along with the difficulty of filling some teaching positions with persons certified in traditional ways, have fueled a movement to create alternative routes to teacher certification in the vast majority of states. This…