Although state governments have a less direct effect on new teachers than do the actions of school administrators and fellow teachers, state standards and the level of financial commitment determine, to a certain extent, the quality of life for teachers. State departments of education can assist first year teachers by: (1) working with teacher…

A new teacher in a self-contained classroom for six kindergarten students with autism describes the challenges of beginning a new program in her school, planning instruction with the new state instructional standards in mind, being scrutinized by parents, and coordinating documentation of progress and development of Individualized Education…

The revision of the University of Maryland Special Education Department 5-year undergraduate teacher preparation program is described. A recent program graduate's reflections on her first year of teaching illuminate key issues addressed in revising the program to focus on multicategorical special education teacher preparation across a more refined…

In this paper the authors focus on one early-career teacher, co-author Natalie Gibson, whose initial teaching experiences were mediated by educational settings shaped by these different and often conflicting traditions. Their study of Natalie's early-career trajectory is concerned with understanding her effort to develop a conception of…

The child care workforce is changing. More than ever before, directors must contend with faculty whose educational levels, job expectations, and career aspirations differ widely. Teachers vary in their experience, professional demeanor, stages in career development, and most recently, generational differences that impact the significance and…

One of the most important aspects of NCLB is its demand that states ensure a "highly qualified" teacher for every student. This provision draws much-needed attention to the importance of ensuring equitable student access to high-quality teachers, write the authors. Some aspects of the provision have raised legitimate concerns--including…

In this article, we report some of the findings of a study of the perceptions of secondary teachers about their experiences as full-time second-year teachers in urban public schools. The frustrations felt by this groups of teachers emerged as a strong theme; it is the nature of these frustrations that we explore in this article.

New teachers are unprepared for school politics and the conflicts they experience with administrators, colleagues and policies. Research and practice on mentoring often ignore organizational contexts. This article explores these under-examined contexts, asking: (1) What do mentors need to know and be able to do in relation to school and district…

Enroute to exploring the role which school culture plays in the teacher induction process, this study compared and contrasted the induction experiences of two exemplary beginning teachers, one an early childhood special educator in an urban setting and the other an elementary educator in a suburban setting. The teachers confronted the same…

An overview is presented of studies, reports, and articles dealing with the teaching profession, particularly in the area of teacher education. Most of the data reflect negative implications at various stages of the teacher development process, from selection of teacher candidates, through admission, selection during preparation programs,…

The drop-out rate of new vocational agriculture teachers and the necessity of a method to determine problem areas that affect the success of beginning teachers were two important concerns of the Southern Research Conference in Agricultural Education. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine what, if any, changes need to be made by teacher…

This is the final report of Phase 2 of a study on teacher training and professional development in the nation members of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Phase 2 examined policy and practices of teacher induction in 11 participating APEC members. This report provides responses to a survey and three case studies. The survey asked Education…

This report discusses why new teachers enter the profession and what they think of it now that they are teaching. It also examines the perspectives of young college graduates in other professions and captures the observations of school superintendents and principals. Researchers conducted telephone interviews with members of each group and focus…

Analysis of current Australian educational policy and practice and interviews with 24 teachers newly appointed to small rural schools in Australia indicates a need for specialized training for rural teachers and the development of specific rural staffing policies and selection practices. (LP)

The author conducted a study of reasons why novice teachers become disenchanted with the administrative support in their schools. Using the ideas of Rosenholtz and Simpson (1990) as a basis for his research, the author designed and administered a survey to 53 novice teachers and 15 building principals regarding the factors that influence novice…