A brief review of the history of pedagogical content knowledge reveals various definitions and conceptualizations of the construct, as well as some conceptual problems. A new conceptualization--teacher pedagogical constructions--is offered to address some of the problems associated with PCK. Seven assertions that comprise the new conceptualization…

This article examines issues encountered over a two-year period by a faculty librarian at the Penn State University Libraries while developing and delivering course-related library instruction employing problem-based learning (PBL) in the First-Year Seminar (FYS) of the Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). The process of…

Maintaining an adequate supply of qualified special education personnel is a major challenge. In particular, serious shortages of teachers of children with emotional disturbance (ED) jeopardize delivery of appropriate special education and services to this population. This article reports data from the national Study of Personnel Needs in Special…

Mathematics teacher education programs are designed with an intention, explicit or implicit, to produce graduates who are competent in both pedagogic knowledge and discipline knowledge. This paper explores students' experiences in coming to learn mathematics and mathematics education. Using an example from a quiz question, supplemented with…

Substantial uncertainty exists about the impact of school quality on the black-white achievement gap. Our results, based on both Texas Schools Project (TSP) administrative data and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey (ECLS), differ noticeably from other recent analyses of the black-white achievement gap by providing strong evidence that…

Promoting local development in order to support school improvement is an important aspect of contemporary educational policy in Sweden. Recent state initiatives have sought to combine curriculum and teacher development. A common form of cooperation is facilitation, where academics support groups of teachers in their school projects. This article…

The quality of the Annual Conference of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) was evaluated through surveys of participants. Conference attendees' ratings of the presenters, the facility, and the inservice training was studied for subgroups based on position, gender, age, and experience. Four sets of data were collected relating…

This report examines and critiques specific aspects of instruction of two modules of an undergraduate program in Teaching English as a Second Language (BATESL) and describes attempts to transform the curriculum to more effectively foster and reflect applications of theory to the realities of the Hong Kong English as a Foreign Language (EFL)…

This book focuses on race at work in the British educational system, a concern that is pertinent because education occupies a pivotal role in contemporary race politics. The study on which it is based blends school-based research with a critical reading of policy and theory. The experiences of teachers in real schools show that schools can…

A large scale evaluation of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Public Schools in-service training program for teachers was conducted in 1981. Approximately 1300 teachers were surveyed and over 30 school principals were interviewed. Overall, the data show considerable interest in continued training among teachers of all ages and experience levels.…

A review of studies on early field experiences centers on John Dewey's belief that pre-practice teaching laboratory experiences should foster reflective criticism of educational purposes and instructional methods and result in more effective student teaching experiences. Current studies have indicated that early field experiences, by focusing on…

To assess the productivity of 167 Houston elementary schools, researchers applied a fractional linear programming procedure called Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to each school's inputs and outputs. School output was measured by third- and sixth-graders' scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). Input resources comprised pupil…

This report describes the major aspects of a University of Michigan project, "Competency-Based Teacher Education Focusing on the Directed Teaching Experience," and presents results of the first semester's experience with a newly developed assessment model. The primary goals of the project were: (1) to develop an assessment system which would…

This document is a summary of the findings of an extensive review by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) of empirical research on the effectiveness of current approaches to licensing and certifying teachers. The research review focused on eight questions (and several subquestions) that are of particular interest and concern to policy and…

Proposals for extended teacher education programs are considered: (1) adding a year long internship to a four-year undergraduate program; (2) postponing professional training until a student has earned a B.A. or B.S.; and (3) requiring masters or doctoral degree programs in teaching for initial certification. (JN)