Describes alternative teacher certification (licensure) programs at universities, regional services centers, and school districts. Provides summary of research on alternative teacher certification. Includes brief description of online sources on alternative teacher certification such as The National Center for Alternative Teacher Certification…

Lists 10 questions a school board should ask the superintendent to help district improve the recruitment and hiring of excellent teachers. For example, can you briefly explain the process we use to hire teachers? (PKP)

Jefferson County Public Schools developed a survey instrument to learn from the applicant's perspective what new teachers had experienced during the hiring process and what they thought of the district's recruiting efforts. The goal was to determine the strong and weak points of the district's program and develop suggestions for improvement. (MLF)

Outlines some steps a district can take to find and select vocational education teachers from nontraditional sources. The people selected will be noncertified but experienced in their trades. (Author/IRT)

Outlines the package of special incentives the teacher recruitment program in Prince George County (MD) Schools was able to develop with the assistance of the Advisory Council for Business and Industry in the county. (MD)

The difference between the performance of an outstanding teacher and that of an average teacher over a couple of decades can be immensely significant to a school district. Outlines a 10-step labor-intensive hiring procedure for hiring top teachers. (MLF)

Male elementary school teachers are in the minority in their schools and in their profession. Men who want to teach young children face sexism. The shortage of male public school teachers troubles child advocates. Two Florida programs recruit African-American men to teach in special education classes. (MLF)

Attracting top teachers to small school systems involves a different recruiting process: advertise widely, use telephone contacts, get there first, don't overweight interviews, do classroom observations, and keep up personal contact. (MD)

In summer 1999, a group of Park City, Utah, school administrators, personnel directors, human-resource specialists, and substitute teacher coordinators brainstormed on improving the recruitment, training, and retention of substitute teachers. Providing effective preservice and on-the-job training and professional recognition are key suggestions.…

The United States is facing a severe teacher shortage. One alternative for finding well trained teacher candidates is to look to Western European countries where a growing number of teachers are unemployed. Outlines procedures for hiring teachers from West Germany. (MD)

Broward County's Teacher Education Alliance provides a seamless approach to teacher education, beginning with the recruitment of high school students and continuing through the preparation of college students. At all levels of their education, students spend time gaining immediate classroom experience in the district's schools. (MLF)

A program called Business Education Collaboration on Minorities in Education (BECOME) offers a $1,500 annual package of scholarships and loans to Akron (Ohio) minority students who agree to study education at the University of Akron or Kent State University and to become teachers in the district. (MLF)

Although some suburban districts have surplus teacher applicants, many growing, rural, innercity, or low-paying districts are scrambling to find teachers. Nevada and Colorado face shortages, whereas Maine and Connecticut are oversupplied. There are too many elementary teachers and not enough math, science, and special-education teachers. High-tech…

Discusses teacher-quality issues related to current and projected teacher shortages, including out-of-field teaching, teacher certification, working conditions, and salaries. Asserts that nation is currently experiencing a crisis in teacher quality, with a disproportional impact on disadvantaged urban students. (PKP)