Looking back through the lens of experience at his first disastrous year of teaching, a veteran shares what he's learned about the supports new teachers need. Some supports--such as getting comfortable with one's teaching persona, becoming familiar with the school community, and being truly dedicated to the job--are within the teacher's control.…

According to Frederick Hess, the point of rethinking pay is not to bribe teachers into working harder, but to redefine the contours of education so the profession can attract and retain good teachers. Traditional step-and-lane pay is ill suited to do so in a world of career-changing, scarce talent, and heightened expectations. Well-designed…

Ending educational inequality requires not only an army of teachers who do whatever it takes to overcome the challenges facing children in low-income communities but also an army of leaders, working both in and outside school, who will change our inequitable system. Teach for America's mission is to help build this force. The organization's…

A former Teach for America recruit who completed her training in a university-based program compares the two approaches to teacher preparation. In Teach for America, she learned how to design units and prepare lesson plans; in her university-based program, she had the time to learn from master teachers and build valuable skills, then practice…

In the struggle to raise U.S. students' achievement in literacy, Hartnett-Edwards says, the emphasis has shifted from finding the right materials to creating better teachers. Central to creating better teachers are literacy coaches. The author claims that the role of literacy/reading coach has evolved beyond its roots in NCLB legislation, when…

The assumption behind movements to get alternatively certified teachers quickly into classrooms as full-time teachers is that high-performing college graduates with content knowledge can become good teachers through a summer of training and full-time, evening, teacher training courses. But when the authors asked new, precertified teachers who were…

Using data from the 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey, the authors studied how various aspects of teacher preparation affect the retention of new teachers--specifically mathematics and science teachers. They found that the preparation of new mathematics and science teachers differs from that of other new teachers in various respects, but factors…

Too often, early elementary teachers enter the classroom unprepared for the particular challenges of teaching children in grades 3 and under. Many were trained in programs that focused on older elementary grades, even though their license qualifies them to teach children as young as kindergarten. Teachers who obtained their certification through a…

In terms of teacher quality, Steele believes the best teachers have reached a stage she terms inspired, and that teachers move progressively through the stages of unaware, aware, and capable until the most reflective teachers finally reach the inspired level. Inspired teachers have a wide repertoire of teaching and class management techniques and…

Amid budget cuts in U.S. public schools, the spotlight is on how to make less effective teachers more effective--fast. The authors describe virtual coaching--in which a coach interacts electronically with a teacher as a lesson unfolds--as a promising way to help teachers with weak teaching skills. Virtual coaching uses online and mobile technology…

Contends that Multiple Subjects Assessment for Teachers is not aligned with essential elementary-level teaching functions, thus preventing many otherwise qualified persons from teaching. Describes some individual test-taking experiences in California. Recommends changes in prospective elementary teacher assessment practices. (PKP)

A noted educator reflects on six satisfactions that he experienced during his career in teaching: introducing students to great ideas, getting a foothold on immortality, improvising on the job, enjoying teaching as a meaningful aesthetic experience, sharing your love of what you teach, and knowing you made a difference in a student's life.

Identifies five approaches to research on teaching, and groups them into primarily quantitative approaches and primarily qualitative approaches. (Author/MLF)

Schools and districts rarely have a fair distribution of teacher talent. Poor children and black children are less likely to be taught by the strongest teachers and more likely to be taught by the weakest. Several districts have implemented programs to reduce the teacher quality gap. Hamilton County, Tennessee, launched an initiative that included…