Evidence does not support the claim by certain critics that students lack cultural literacy because skills and processes are stressed at the expense of content, in both the classroom and teacher education programs. (IAH)

Many teacher education programs are moving toward some type of selective admissions procedures ranging from tests of competence in oral and written communication to committee assessments using multiple criteria. The screening technique proposed in this study is a reading proficiency test, measuring teacher candidates' ability to read textbook…

Complaints have been made that in teacher preparation programs foundations courses are practically irrelevant and methods courses intellectually unchallenging. Prospective teachers should understand that an extensive grounding in the psychological, historical and sociological foundations of education prepares them to make effective decisions on…

Teacher training institutions should assess the competency level of their graduates so that needed changes in teacher education programs can be made. A model for assessing teacher education graduates and the teacher education program is described. (CJ)

One approach to preparing student teachers to deal effectively with mainstreamed handicapped children is to have special education personnel meet with student teachers. Each student teacher must acquire some supervised mainstreaming teaching experience. (JN)

The future of teacher education programs at most private universities is uncertain. Student enrollments in education courses are at an all-time low. Private institutions suffer from competition with state universities which can offer training in teacher education at a lower tuition fee. (JN)

Two field-based teacher education programs at North Texas State University are described. The West Dallas Teacher Education Project prepares education students to work in inner-city, urban schools, and the North Texas Cooperative Teacher Education Project allows education students to work as paraprofessional teacher aides. (CJ)

This article examines the potential benefits to the educational process of a closer relationship between the fields of international education and multicultural education. It considers the past development of these fields and the points of convergence that offer sources of subject matter and methodology for teacher educators. (Author/JB)

The Ohio State Board of Education approved new standards for colleges and universities preparing teachers, which have major implications: (1) joint governance of teacher education by universities and school districts; (2) university involvement in in-service teacher education programs; and (3) a new emphasis on field experiences in a variety of…

Competency-based teacher education is losing the support it once had due to its inability to achieve basic goals. A training system that emphasizes student accountability, responsibility, involvement, and cooperation with teachers in designing curriculum will result in well-trained teachers. (CJ)

The issue is no longer whether control of teacher education will shift away from institutions of higher education, but to what extent, and to which of the interest groups now vying for control of major program components it will shift to. The impact of potential changes in preservice and inservice teacher education, field experiences,…

Wichita State University's teacher education program was revised to develop sensitive, nurturing teachers who understand student diversity. Pretests and posttests examining students' professional and personal opinions about diversity found that field experiences created significant differences in attitudes toward diversity and social distance…

This article notes that there are more issues and problems than positive programmatic trends; it looks at eight major challenges that U.S. schools of education must overcome if they are to become professional schools, analyzing where teacher education currently is vis-a-vis the challenges. (SM)

The Teachers Educating and Motivating Students (TEAMS) model emphasizes the use of collaborative school/university partnerships for elementary teacher preparation. This competency-based, structured block program features concurrent enrollment in groups of courses and a corresponding field component. Perception surveys and workplace competency…

This case study examined the revision of a state university's elementary teacher education program, noting dilemmas arising during the university approval process related to faculty involvement, power and authority, incentives, and sacred cows such as academic freedom. Lessons learned about programmatic change within the culture of the university…