This report summarizes the activities and findings of Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) in its external evaluation of Rural Physics Teacher Resource Agents (PTRA) project. The report details HRI's work and findings since June 2002. The project is on schedule for going to scale with the rural centers model, establishing four centers in Year One and…

This report summarizes the activities and findings of Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) in its external evaluation of the American Association of Physic Teachers (APPT's) Rural Physics Teacher Resource Agents (PTRA) project. The report details HRI's work and findings since June 2004. The report is divided into five main sections. The first provides an…

This research brief answers questions about the in-service training of teachers to use educational technology and offers models of exemplary programs in practice. Only 5% of the teaching force can be considered exemplary technology users, and it is recognized that becoming an accomplished integrator of technology into instruction is a complex and…

Two new training and development initiative practices addressing telecommunications (Internet) training for education are presented: the Virtual Classroom and Vertically Integrated Technology Training (VERITTE). These techniques may be applied separately or in combination to develop competencies and positive attitudes among school personnel toward…

The teaching of moral values should involve the building of considerable structure that can easily be integrated into the existing curriculum. This program would contain seven components: personalizing the environment, building community feeling, cooperative learning, developing awareness, encouraging self-respect and respect for others, and…

An effective inservice teacher education program was found to have the characteristics of: (1) immediate applicability to the classroom; (2) use of teacher input; (3) curriculum change and innovation; and (4) provisions for ongoing, continuous evaluation. (JN)

This annotated bibliography lists 29 journal articles and publications which deal with recent professional developments in the field of teacher education. (JN)

The strong emphasis on staff development stems, at least in part, from studies of innovation that profilerated in the wake of "A Nation at Risk" (1983). Current guidelines for staff development provide specific information about instructional strategies that promote student achievement, and the kinds of interventions that help teachers…

The Faculty Development in Computers Project (FDIC) at the University of Northern Iowa creates an on-going support structure for faculty involved in the process of incorporating computer technology into their personal and professional activities. Specifically, the FDIC facilitates development of broadly defined computer literacy among teacher…

Teaching can acquire professional status through teacher preparation agencies implementing programs oriented to the hypothetical-deductive model based on existing research. Teacher preparation programs must orient both inservice and preservice teachers appropriately to educational research and its transfer to practice. Many research studies exist…

Effective professional development of teachers is a critical concern that must be viewed holistically, considering equally the needs of the jurisdiction, the school, and the individual. A review of recent literature suggests four distinct types of teacher development: preservice training, curriculum related inservice, jurisdictional issue related…

Results of a survey of the 50 states regarding initiatives taken in nine policy/issue areas to teacher education are presented. The nine areas were: (1) standards; (2) incentives; (3) irregular certification routes; (4) program curricula; (5) capacity building for schools, colleges, and departments of education; (6) research, data, and evaluation;…

This research review examines the historical development of training programs for special education teachers, beginning with their apprenticeship at residential institutions for handicapped children. Federal legislation brought about reform in the preparation of special education teachers, by authorizing grants to universities and colleges to…

The theory, research, and prescription done during the 1970's in the areas of classroom management and school discipline are reviewed in this analysis, and the effects of this work on student behavior problems is assessed. An analysis of the sociopolitical context in which scholarly models, research paradigms, and systems for running schools were…

This report outlines the history of non-commercial and local production of audiovisual instructional materials in Japan since World War II, discusses current trends in instructional materials usage, and presents four case studies of materials production at the prefectural level. Topics addressed include: (1) materials production prior to the…