Unfortunately, alternatively certified novice teachers are not being properly prepared. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, the primary concern is that all classrooms are housed with highly qualified teachers. In the present, alternatively certified novice teacher attrition has increased significantly. Many classrooms across the United States have…

A longitudinal study compared the characteristics of teacher candidates who persisted and did not persist through the early years of teaching. Gender, major, initial assurance about teaching, and time of the decision to teach were related to persistence for the 29% of 551 candidates studied who persisted. (SLD)

This report presents findings from the second-year evaluation of the Governor's Educator Excellence Grant (GEEG) program. The GEEG program was federally- and state-funded and provided three-year grants to schools to design and implement performance pay plans from the 2005-06 to 2007-08 school years. GEEG was implemented in 99 high poverty, high…

Recognizing the vast disparities in academic achievement throughout Arizona's public schools, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has recently started pushing for tougher standards and demanding for more school accountability. This study analyzes the ranking system implemented by the ADE that categorizes all public schools according to…

This report sets out to define and construct a working model of a school management guide that will help school officials, school leaders, and community members make sense of the mountains of data they are generating. It is not so much a map to buried treasure as it is a guide to action. It does not say "X marks the spot," but it does provide some…

Under the leadership of State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum, with the support of the South Carolina Department of Education's Division of Teaching Quality (DTQ) and the South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA), South Carolina became only the second state in the nation to study teacher…

Discusses research used to support findings from the U.S. Secretary of Education's report, "Meeting the Highly Qualified Teacher Challenge," and suggests that different conclusions would derive from a well-grounded rendering of the evidence. Examines four propositions (among them, teachers who have completed teacher education programs…

A longitudinal study of 117 teachers from the beginning of their preservice education through their fifth year of teaching found that attitude toward teaching as a career remained constant during teacher preparation but was less positive after five years of teaching. This attitude was related to 6 of 15 academic and personal characteristics…

The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (NCCTQ) was launched in 2005 as part of a comprehensive system of content-based technical assistance to support states in implementing the priorities of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. NCCTQ's mission is to support Regional Comprehensive Centers (RCCs), states, and other education…

This study was designed to ascertain whether differences existed between the academic, affective, and personal characteristics of teacher education persisters and nonpersisters. The subjects were comprised of a longitudinal sample of approximately 550 teacher candidates entering teacher training at one institution (Bowling Green State University,…

Research reveals that teachers' working conditions are more likely to determine whether they stay at a school--or even in the profession--than are their salaries. Results suggest that policymakers ought to consider selective pay increases, preferably keyed to quality, for work in inner-city schools, together with efforts to improve the working…

This report presents current research findings on teacher preparation and effectiveness. While some critics question the role of teacher preparation as a key to teacher effectiveness, this report contends that available research supports the importance of high quality teacher preparation. Well prepared teachers outperform those who are not…

Many schools across the country face persistent teacher working condition challenges that are closely related to high teacher turnover rates and chronic difficulties in recruiting and retaining teachers. Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) research examining working conditions survey results in both North Carolina and South Carolina demonstrates…

This report describes current practice regarding requirements for teaching nationally and in North Carolina, and summarizes research comparing traditionally prepared (TP) teachers and those who enter teaching through alternative routes (ALT). These comparisons revealed that alternative programs attracted a large number of candidates, including…

In 1998, the San Francisco Board of Education granted a charter to Edison Schools, Inc., to manage the Edison Charter Academy. In 2001, it commenced a formal investigation of complaints that Edison had materially violated its charter and notified the school of its intent to revoke the charter. This briefing traces the events from the commencement…