This longitudinal comparative analysis examines the experiences of two candidates--one enrolled in an urban residency program and one enrolled in the residency's partner, university-based program--to consider the role that context plays in teacher preparation. Drawing from complexity theory and critical realism, we consider how the interplay of…

This article provides a response to the collective body of articles in this issue of "Teacher Education Quarterly." It offers a brief discussion of current pressing issues found in the preparation of teacher candidates as they navigate through coursework and field experiences, and the tensions found in their first years of teaching.…

To be effective, teachers need to have empathic relationships with students based on respect, caring, and an overall understanding that relationships in schools are vital to a positive learning community (Cooper, 2003; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Ray, Lambie, & Curry, 2007). However, teacher stress may lead to negative consequences that…

In the United States, K-12 students are likely to go through school without learning from a single teacher of Color (TOC), yet research shows that all students, especially students of Color, stand to benefit from having TOCs. Therefore increasing the diversity of the teaching working force has gained public concern in the past few years,…

This study examines the relationship between the working conditions of student teaching schools and changes in student teachers' planned persistence in teaching. Planned persistence (and a related construct, initial commitment) is an important predictor of initial entry (Rots, Aelterman, Vlerick, & Vermeulen, 2007) and actual persistence in…

This study provides empirical evidence on preservice teachers' (PSTs) dispositions by surveying them on topics of educational policy in their first required course for a teacher preparation program in one mid-sized public university. Our survey used the same questions as did the Ed Next/Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance poll,…

This article, which comes out of a research project exploring teaching as intellectual work, focuses specifically on a young woman who worked as a substitute teacher after she graduated from a two-year teacher education program at her local university. For Penny, substitute teaching was an interruption as she shaped a professional life moving…

With shifts and changes in the social and professional context of 21st century education, beginning teachers are especially challenged by conflicts between their personal beliefs and the reality of teaching, in addition to the struggles first-year teachers often encounter. While there is an established body of literature in teacher education that…

The attack against teacher education has seemed increasingly focused and pervasive in recent years with the national government joining the discussion. The 2002 U.S. Secretary of Education's Annual Report on Teacher Quality (U.S. Department of Education) called for the dismantlement of teacher education programs and their "burdensome requirements"…

In an era of prolific funding for varied small-school models, there is a growing emphasis on schools that alter the landscape of educational design. Some of these models attempt to redesign schools to place students at the center of learning and provide powerful examples of very different ways of thinking about teaching and learning (some examples…

Examined the extent to which experienced high school teachers were satisfied with their work, noting principal motivators to remaining in the classroom. Survey and interview data indicated that teachers had a high level of satisfaction, despite difficult working conditions. After working with students, other important motivators included passion…

A cross-section of teachers in California were surveyed regarding working conditions, organizational support, participation in decision making, and teacher support for proposed reforms. Findings are presented. (MT)

The author's experiences in education courses and in teaching are used to discuss the issue of relevance of teacher training. The real-life concerns of teachers and the need for teacher educators to deal with such concerns are discussed. (MT)

Analyzes the contemporary school restructuring movement, discussing democratic possibilities, the relationship between educational technology and school restructuring, critical questions about educational technology, the effect of new technology on teacher work, and the relationship of educational technology to school structures and economic…

Although there is some important scholarly work on the problem of workplace mistreatment/abuse, theoretical or empirical work on abusive school principals is nonexistent. Symbolic interactionism was the theoretical structure for the present study. This perspective on social research is founded on three primary assumptions: (1) individuals act…