Four leading educators respond to 10 questions about the redesign of standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education that will alter that organization and thus affect teacher preparation and practice. (IW)

Argues the importance of maintaining teacher preparation programs in elite liberal arts colleges so that graduates of those colleges can have access to the profession and the profession can benefit from their talents. Suggests that such colleges form consortia in order to maintain preparation programs. (IRT)

Emphasizes the need for teacher educators to respond to critics and would-be reformers of teacher education by demanding "specific solutions to specific problems." Provides a list of 20 such problems and possible solutions. (JBM)

This assessment of the deficiencies of teachers focuses on teacher education programs and current methods of certification. (IRT)

The drive to eliminate undergraduate teacher education programs raises problems. Discusses the hostile climate of opinion expressed about teacher education in many colleges and universities. (MD)

State government is taking a more active role in defining field experiences and requiring input from professional and consumer groups. It is also monitoring the programs and practices of teacher education programs more actively. (Author/IRT)

The central aim of professional accreditation is defining and maintaining standards. An essential first step is establishing the profession's boundaries and membership. Teacher educators cannot agree on a definition of the teaching profession and have little control over accrediting agencies' governance. NCATE is an association permitting teacher…

Agrees with the recommendation in a preceding article by Gideonse in the same issue that teachers should complete a postbaccalaureate program, but disagrees with Gideonse's advocacy of hierarchically structured teaching teams and an academic rather than a field-based program. (Author/JM)

Criticizes the Holmes Group Report for the incompleteness of its recommendations in the following areas: (1) redesigning the undergraduate liberal arts curriculum, (2) eliminating undergraduate field experience, and (3) endorsing the concept of a differentiated staff composed of instructors, professional teachers, and career professionals.…

Drawing on the examples of a successful classroom teacher who does "what works" and a former student disenchanted with the behavior modification approach to teaching exceptional children, the author encourages teacher instruction in critical thinking and a wide range of teaching theories and methodologies. (JBM)

Policies now being enacted by many states to reform teacher education include testing, alternate routes to certification, scholarships and loan forgiveness, incentives, and overhauling certification packages and institutional standards. However, these policy initiatives are not likely to provide many lasting benefits, based on performance to date.…

To fulfill its obligations to rural constituents, higher education should develop teacher training programs that (1) prepare teachers as generalists to accept broad teaching responsibilities; (2) help teachers understand the close school/community bonds in rural areas; and (3) prepare teachers to develop self-sufficiency in rural settings. (PB)

Summarizes results of a survey included in the Deans' Network study of doctoral programs in education. Deans of 37 research-oriented schools of education granting doctorates were interviewed on the purpose of the doctoral program, its governance, status, finances, evaluation, and relationship to the university. (MJL)

Florida's state university system recently invested over $76 million in its education colleges. A national accrediting process based on peer review would help determine the existence of high-quality programs. NCATE (the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education), the Florida Department of Education, and the board of regents are…

Describes the redesign of standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and roles played by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the National Education Association. Examines five categories into which new unit-based NCATE standards fall and predicts some important outcomes of the…