This paper on the future of preservice teacher education examines the question of whether a crisis exists today in schools and in teacher education. It is noted that judgments vary, given different perspectives and vantage points for observation, and that a reliable assessment of the current health of schooling and teacher education is difficult.…

This report synthesizes case studies of women teachers in rural areas of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. In each country, interviews and focus groups were conducted in selected states and districts with administrators and women teachers in rural elementary schools, as well as policymakers and community members. Following an introduction to…

This article reviews research on the shortage of African Americans in university special education faculties, identifying problems in the faculty development system and possible solutions. Suggestions focus on improving available financial support, mentoring, and developing opportunities for creative research and writing, in order to recruit,…

Addresses the needs of beginning special education teachers in small, rural school districts; describes strategies for recruiting special education teachers in rural areas; describes programs that small and rural school districts can use to orient new teachers to the school and community; and identifies strategies for retaining teachers in rural…

This paper discusses issues in the recruitment, retention, and training of Native college students as teachers and school administrators. The number of Native educational professionals serving schools for Native students is extremely small, and there is evidence that even this number is declining relative to the increasing Native school…

This study examines five case studies of proposed school consolidations. None of the five proposed consolidations were voted by their constituents into reality. This report also examines the curricular impact that these variables have upon the secondary course offerings available as well as the lessons learned from 11 Committee of Ten members.…

Three components of the teacher shortage are the recruitment challenge, the retention problem, and the demand for teacher quality. Although the teacher shortage problem involves many factors, any solution must address salaries. Rural districts face a threefold disadvantage: teachers are not compensated as well as other rural professionals; rural…

This policy brief examines programs from California and elsewhere in the United States for attracting and retaining quality preschool and child-care staff and places these programs within the broader context of K-12 reforms. While this brief is specifically aimed at early-childhood-education planners and policymakers, it contains information for…

This paper synthesizes leading national studies of academic labor markets and focuses on the implications of changes in faculty labor markets for comprehensive universities, four-year primarily undergraduate universities that are neither research universities nor liberal arts colleges. It draws on several national studies to present statistics on…

This paper presents, first, the statutory entitlement authorizing support to educators of children affected by drugs or alcohol; then, a population overview which covers family characteristics, infant, preschool, and classroom needs; and finally, suggestions for recruitment and retention strategies in personnel training and direct service…

Current facts concerning the teaching profession should be analyzed and acted upon. Most college students now studying to enter the teaching profession come from the bottom quarter of those taking the college entrance examinations. Schools and Colleges of Education are held in very low esteem on most campuses; therefore, when budgets are cut, they…

This report presents a literature review that was initiated to provide Virginia school districts with information about attracting and retaining quality teachers. The review addresses what school divisions are doing to retain teachers in the first 5 years; teachers' perceptions regarding school division retention strategies; and reasons teachers…

Between now and 1990, the number of classroom teachers needed in the United States will rise, from 2,380,000 in 1984 to a projected all-time high of 2,640,000 in 1990. Supplying qualified teachers to fill that record number of positions may be difficult, however. Among the reasons that many more teachers may be needed are increased enrollment; a…

This collection contains a series of papers each of which deals with a key issue in vocational teacher education today. Included in the volume are the following papers: "Introduction and Colloquium Purposes," by John Pucciano; "Recruitment and Retention of Vocational Education Teachers," by Richard L. Lynch;…

Abstracts and abstractors' critiques of six science education research studies and six responses to critiques are presented in this issue of "Investigations in Science Education" (ISE). Each of the studies addresses some aspects of teacher education. Areas investigated include: (1) effects of inservice training on student learning; (2)…