This paper presents a comprehensive review of international research on the problems of beginning teachers facing "reality shock" in their first years of teaching. A discussion is given on the question of how teacher educators could anticipate the problems their students will encounter when they enter the profession. Particular focus is on…

This report of the Task Force on Teacher Education in Missouri focuses on producing a high-quality cadre of teachers. The report is organized around three themes: (1) supply and demand of teachers, teacher recruitment, and selective admission; (2) appropriate preservice preparation of teachers with academically rigorous teacher education programs;…

Focusing on the shortage of minority group teachers, the first section of this book discusses global issues related to the teacher shortage. It is pointed out that a great imbalance exists between multicultural school populations and racially homogeneous teaching staffs. Some specific solutions and suggested reforms are made for increasing the…

This report discusses the Quality Assurance Program at the OSU/WOSC School of Education, a merged school serving Oregon State University and Western Oregon State College. This major reform in teacher education is designed to bring a high level of accountability to teacher education and is called a "Warranty of First-Year Teachers." If,…

A traveling seminar and support program offered to beginning vocational education teachers by the University of Wyoming's Department of Vocational Education was successful in combating rural isolation and the absence of inservice training opportunities. Teachers shared problems and observed new instructional techniques during weekend meetings held…

Eight papers presented at an international symposium on teacher education research are featured in this document. Excerpts from the opening speech by Erkki A. Niskanen, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Helsinki, outline research projects being carried out by teacher educators at the university. A paper by Yrjo Engestrom,…

Eight priority recommendations are outlined for attracting and preparing teachers, developing the new teachers, improving the teaching climate, and rewarding effective teaching. Consideration is given to issues related to effective teaching within the framework of seven areas: (l) early student interest; (2) entry into teacher education; (3)…

Program VITAL is a team of field resource persons working through resident resource persons to help beginning vocational teachers in the eastern region of Pennsylvania. The tools used in this field-based competency-based teacher education program include self-paced individualized learning modules, microteaching, and video recording with peer- and…

As the largest professional organization of special educators, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has taken seriously its professional responsibility for defining the criteria for a competent beginning special educator. As part of this responsibility, CEC has developed and continues to update and maintain professional standards for…

Reviews the first year of a teacher education restructuring project at Roosevelt University in Chicago (Illinois). Major goals include developing relationships with Chicago schools to create professional development school models for field experiences and support for beginning teachers and examining and restructuring the university's education,…

Teacher retention is a critical problem in public education (Ingersoll, 2002), demanding collaboration between universities and local public school systems. Using veteran teacher mentors employed in a public school system to facilitate ongoing monthly support groups, communities of beginning teachers were formed, embedded within the public schools…

This paper describes computer-mediated distance learning experiments in field settings by a rural teacher education program, in which student teachers and a student teaching seminar leader at Northern Michigan University conferenced via electronic mail. Participating student teachers, who were teaching in schools 300 miles apart, were expected to…

A new professional licensure system for teachers developed by the Minnesota Board of Teaching in conjunction with the Educational Testing Service is described. Initial work with the Rand Corporation in 1987 provided a plan for a new licensure system. The state's expectations for a performance assessment system to measure the skills of first-year…

The four narratives presented in this paper represent the classroom triumphs and tribulations of four beginning minority teachers. The vignettes are part of a larger case study investigating the specific socialization experiences of these new teachers, graduates of the Peabody College (Tennessee) Internship/Induction Program, an alternative…

The Teacher Evaluation and Assessment Center (TEAC) was established by the Department of Education at the University of South Florida in 1984 to serve the state in the certification of trainers and observers of the Florida Performance Measurement System (FPMS) and to score and report performance evaluations for special programs. This report…