In discussing Donna Kerr's recommendations for improving teaching through better preservice training (Teachers College Record, Spring 1983), Sykes points out the need to enhance the quality of a teacher's work life in the schools as a requisite for reform. Specific changes at the school level are suggested. (PP)

Competency testing is a fact of life for many new teachers. This article describes different types of tests and the purposes for which they are used in various states. Teachers and spokespersons for educational organizations and institutions express their views on testing and on how test results may affect teacher education. (PP)

Relevant theory and research are brought to bear on the questions of what administrators can do that makes a difference to student learning, of exactly what principals manage in their role as education leader, and of what knowledge they must have to increase learning in their schools. Conclusions are that principals can improve student achievement…

This handbook is designed to provide a basis for discussion or training sessions on teacher-administrator relationships. The first section of the handbook examines communication problems and describes effective and ineffective communication techniques. Discussion questions and guidelines for communication improvement are listed for administrators…

Declining enrollment in Ontario, a mild issue in the early 1970s, became a crisis by 1976, and was spelled out as such in 1978. Teacher surplus, not shortage, became a new reality. Inservice training thus acquired new importance in overall teacher development since it stands as one of the few options left to teachers trying to save their jobs.…

There are currently the following types of teacher thinking: (1) Preconception and Implicit Theories; (2) Planning and Reflection; and (3) Dilemmas and Uncertainty. Teacher educators should consult with researchers and ask better questions of themselves and their arts in order to better prepare teachers. (Author/BJV)

One of the assumptions of the debate over parental choice is that private schools are more effective than public ones. This paper reviews the available evidence that religious schools in Europe are more effective. Available studies compare outcomes of public and religious schools in Flemish Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and…

This paper reviews research on the impact of Professional Development Schools (PDSs) on K-12 students, preservice teachers, inservice teachers, university faculty, school reform, and research. Section 1 examines what the research says about the impact of PDSs on these groups, using data from the ERIC database, and it discusses external support for…

Three kinds of educational research--scientific, analytic, and interpretive--are examined, and the type of inservice activity most closely related to each is discussed. Effective teaching is defined in terms of a direct instructional model for delivering skills to students. Inservice can improve teacher effectiveness by modifying teacher behavior.…

Discusses pedagogy in physical education teacher education, noting its definition as a problem and some suggested solutions. The paper examines three pedagogies (performance, critical, and postmodern), claiming they are defined by different discourses, each one in response to problems that can be understood by analyzing the process of problem…

Describes student teachers' developmental stages. After reviewing pertinent literature, the paper examines a recent study that qualitatively and quantitatively outlined stages of development applicable to contemporary student teaching contexts. The study found that each of five student teachers passed through four developmental stages…

This publication reviews what is known about professional development in elementary and secondary education including its organization, costs, effects on practice, and principles for guiding future professional development programs. Recent reform efforts that have put higher standards in place are examined for their effect on the practice of…

Adult Literacy and Basic Education (ALBE) teachers face many challenges as they attempt to reconcile the demands of educational providers, learners, and government agencies with their own values and beliefs about the aims and purposes of literacy. Recent research on ALBE programs was examined from the standpoint of their relationship to the…

Research on improving teacher practice is examined, focusing on the collaboration of researchers and practitioners in developing effective change strategies. Three studies are introduced that provide long-range data and form a knowledge base: (1) the Rand Corporation study of federal programs supporting educational change (1978); (2) the I/D/E/A…

This report includes three papers addressing the issue of technology and education written from the perspectives of business and corporate concerns, educator's concerns, and "collaborative" concerns (labor, business, education, and government). The report includes a commentary by the editor providing an overview of the papers' themes and…