As a beginning teacher, the author did not recognize that knowing her students was as important as knowing her subject. Teachers should personalize assignments and ask students to write a letter about themselves, write notes explaining tardiness or late homework, create learning logs, and help solve classroom problems. (MLH)

A high school teacher outlines 11 nontraditional expectations for new teachers. Teachers should empathize with students; create partnerships with school community members; account to others; embrace adversity; take the long view; demonstrate competency and interest in others; keep believing in students; maintain high performance goals; share…

This paper considers the professional responsibility of schools in England to provide effective induction practices in the context of a central government mandated policy. It looks at individual schools as "habitats" for induction and the role of school leaders and LEAs as facilitators or inhibitors. Notions of professional…

Nine major thrusts and key issues in the improvement of education are cited: (1) attracting and enrolling high quality candidates into teacher preparation; (2) improving both the intellectual and experiential components of teacher education; (3) strengthening the accreditation and approval system for teacher education institutions; (4)…

For the past five years, education in the United States has received major criticism and various reforms have been suggested. The recommendations, legislation, and proposed changes that have resulted have created consternation, frustration, and optimism among teacher educators. The optimism stems from the desire to continue to improve the…

Argues that early childhood education must end the loss of new graduates and address the issue of stagnation of some of those who remain. Explains the first job of a new graduate is a time to test ideas from coursework, while early childhood programs can benefit from fresh ideas and enthusiasm that novice teachers bring. (Author)

Advocates the value and importance of asking prospective teachers to tell autobiographical stories about their teaching experiences. Describes in detail the story of one prospective English teacher's journey from recent graduate to professional teacher and her initiation into the English teaching discourse community. (HB)

Work with first-year teachers in the greater Haifa area is reported. The four teachers continue to meet with their former university teacher education instructor, who helps them in their transition from student to teacher. (LB)

Novice teachers find lesson planning difficult because of the lack of experientially-derived lesson schemata. Teachers should look to the expressive arts for principles and structures for lesson design (lesson schemata, scripts, and images; lessons as performance events; and lessons as aesthetic experience). Good lessons share features with good…

As states begin mandating induction-year programs as part of teacher preparation and certification, three issues have surfaced: the lack of consistency in definitions of mentoring among stakeholders, both between and within states; the need for the development of appropriate and effective models of mentoring; and the need for adequate funding to…

Beginning teachers are often given teaching assignments that would challenge even the most skillful veteran teachers. Such assignments can take several forms: teaching in a subject area for which the teacher is not certified; having too many class preparations; "floating" from classroom to classroom; working with low-ability, unmotivated, or…

In 2007, the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) completed an 18-month study of the costs of teacher turnover in five school districts. The selected districts varied in size, location, and demographics enabling exploration of how these variations affected costs. Costs of recruiting, hiring, processing, and training…

As a consequence of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990, which brought outcomes-based education to P-12 students, the Kentucky Professional Standards Board mandated a process by which teachers will receive state certification after successfully completing performance assessments. This article lists the eight teacher expectations and the…

Predicated on the fact that the National Teacher Examination (NTE) is a sociocultural artifact, this paper emphasizes teacher education curricula as a basis for the NTE. The focus is on the social dynamics of the classroom, which is a complex set of interactions far richer than the particularistic bits of information tested by the NTE. Proponents…

A study investigated the responses of 169 elementary school teachers to a questionnaire collecting three types of data: (1) information pertaining to four unique items prepared specifically for elementary school teachers; (2) data regarding seven teaching roles and related activities for each role; and (3) written comments. The two situations…