Background: Prior research shows that teachers' working conditions are important for teacher and student outcomes, such as teacher retention and student achievement. Because National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) can be effective in the classroom and as instructional leaders, they are well positioned to create favorable working conditions for…

Is a popular innovation for increasing human capital in the teaching profession--competitive college scholarships for teachers--effective? The authors show that one large and long-standing merit-based scholarship program (a) attracts teacher candidates who have high academic qualifications; (b) yields graduates who teach lower performing students,…

In this article, we argue that preparing and maintaining a cadre of culturally responsive teachers is critical to improving urban education and achieving educational equity. We discuss a collaborative, social-justice-oriented approach to teacher preparation committed to developing a stable and effective teaching force reflective of the student…

The purpose of this article is to examine whether there were improvements in the percentage of first-, second-, and third-grade students in Reading First (RF) schools in Michigan who performed at or above grade level on a standardized test of reading comprehension. The study reports results for 140 schools that participated in the RF initiative…

Data on student achievement and background and teacher training, experience, and hiring date, gathered from 400 urban midwestern elementary students and teachers, confirmed that differences in the quality of teachers hired during different time periods (the "vintage" effect) strongly affect the relationship between teaching experience…

This paper relates the author's experience with a preservice teacher at Chicago State University. Ms. Young was a bright, intelligent student who demonstrated a high level of skill and enthusiasm for the profession of teaching--so high that she was asked to address the graduating body of student teachers with the notion that her ideals would…