This study explores urban teachers' perception of their mentoring experience in an alternative urban teacher education program. Fifteen teachers who had been teaching in urban schools for at least three years participated in focus groups. The findings support the need for continuing the development of new teachers through utilizing mentors in the…

Thus, this study examines two beginning teachers' perceptions of a high-stakes test in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Data analysis revealed that the teachers' perceptions towards the test had changed during their first year of teaching. This issue is important because how first-year history teachers perceive and respond to the high stakes tests…

In this report, three specific questions guide the analyses that follow: (1) To what degree has the School District of Philadelphia upgraded the teaching credentials of its teachers? (2) How well has the district succeeded in reducing teacher attrition and increasing the experience level of its workforce? (3) Have district efforts since the state…

How can we avoid the "why new teachers cry" phenomenon and the high dropout rate for beginning teachers? Start teacher preparation with an introductory foundations class that is experience based and allows students to study themselves and their preferences for teaching styles, learning styles, and classroom management by living through case…

The U.S. Department of Education predicts that more than 2.2 million teaching positions in kindergarten through 12th grade will need to be filled over the next 10 years. Given the demand for classroom teachers, 48 states and the District of Columbia have created alternate route (AR) teaching certification programs to recruit individuals who have…

There is an exceedingly high rate of loss of beginning teachers in the field of public education. Out of the estimated 3.1 million teaching in the United States, 11 percent, or 341,000, quit after their first year of teaching. The data also have revealed that after 2 years, another 651,000 quit and at the 5-year mark, another 1,209,000 teachers…

This case study examines a new middle school teacher's beliefs and perceptions about how and why technology can and should be used to support student learning. Findings suggest that persistence was critical to learning in the absence of preservice or inservice training in the effective application of technology to support learning. (Author/LRW)

Elementary, middle school, and high school principals have a powerful impact on the schools in their charge. These lead administrators mold the atmosphere of a school and, in turn, the feelings of the teachers who work in it. The current teacher shortage combined with the demands of standards-based education has made retaining new teachers a…

This article compares the experiences of small groups of newly qualified teachers before and after the introduction of statutory induction in England in 1999. It examines how far some of the beneficial outcomes of a structured induction programme advocated by Glickman and Bay (1990) have been evidenced by the experiences of the post-induction…

In 1998, Massachusetts instituted a $20,000 Signing Bonus to address concerns about the supply of quality teachers. This article reports on a longitudinal, qualitative study of the experiences of 13 of the original 59 recipients of the Signing Bonus, and analyzes their responses to various incentives embedded within the Massachusetts Signing Bonus…

The Strategic Management of Human Capital in Education Project was founded in 2008 with one goal: to improve student achievement dramatically in the 100 largest urban school districts. Unless teaching quality and principal leadership improve significantly, lasting education improvement is impossible. In policy terms, without "strategic management"…

In 2007, the state of Mississippi conducted a web-based survey of all school-based licensed educators in which they were asked to share their perceptions of the state of teacher working conditions in Mississippi. This report of the Mississippi Teacher Working Conditions Survey, Project CLEAR Voice (Cultivate Learning Environments to Accelerate…

Quality teachers are needed if all students are to perform to high standards, yet teacher shortages in both general and special education remain a national concern. Too many teachers, both veterans and novices, are leaving the profession and the national attrition rate for new teachers is highest among the most "academically talented."…

Nearly half of all new teachers leave the job within five years. What is killing their spirit? How can they be convinced to stay? This article attempts to answer such questions in presenting one person's account of why she left the teaching profession. Statistical data relating to teacher employment and turnover; reasons for leaving among…