The need to attract academically talented students to teacher education and to retain these teachers in fields such as mathematics, science, English, and foreign language teaching is discussed. Honors programs in teacher education offer one means of recruiting and holding superior students. (PP)

Surveyed beginning teachers regarding their views on their preparation for teaching, beliefs and practice, and plans to remain in teaching. Teachers prepared in teacher education programs felt significantly better prepared than those prepared through alternative programs or without preparation. Teachers' views of their preparation varied. The…

The changing marketplace for foreign language college faculty necessitates carefully devised faculty development programs to help new and younger faculty to launch ("fire") their careers. Foreign language departments must develop effective faculty recruitment and retention strategies to maintain program quality, size, and missions. (CB)

Survival analysis was used to examine and follow the career paths of 6,642 special education teachers hired in Michigan and North Carolina between 1972 and 1983. Educators most likely to leave teaching included those serving students with speech, hearing, or vision disabilities; teachers with high test scores; and teachers paid comparatively low…

Data from two panel studies, the 1993 to 1995 nationwide Schools and Staffing Survey and the Teacher Follow-Up Survey, as well as a 1998-1999 survey of teachers in one western state are used to examine the influence of variables related to demographic characteristics, work assignment, effectiveness, social support, and school management on the…

This paper reviews the research literature on new teacher mentoring, focusing on issues of definition, why teachers quit, and the effects of mentoring on retention. Conclusions call for more scientific studies on the relationship between mentoring and retention, more research on the relation between mentoring and other educational outcomes, and a…

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…

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…

The paper examines issues in special education teacher attrition and reviews a variety of induction and mentorship programs to lessen the common isolation of beginning teachers. Statistics indicating the high attrition rate among beginning teachers, especially special education teachers are cited and related to lack of training and ongoing…

The situations and attitudes of a total of 15 teachers and former teachers were investigated as part of a followup study conducted four years after a study at the completion of the teachers' first year of teaching. Using many of the same questions as in "The First Year Teacher Study," interviews were conducted, and three survey instruments were…

Research has shown that the induction period is the most crucial time of a teacher's career. Characteristics of teachers who demonstrate an open, lively, and continuous desire to learn are quite different from those of teachers who remain static after their beginning years. In interviews, four experienced teachers were asked about initial…

This book helps principals and all others who hire and retain teachers to sharpen their ability to hire better teachers for their schools, improve the ones who are already there, and keep their best and brightest on board. It demonstrates that the quality of the people on staff will ultimately determine the quality of the school and the success of…

A Cox regression model was used to examine the career paths of 2,327 elementary school first-year teachers. Variables studied (sex, age, ethnicity, education, and certification route) explained about 10% of the variation in teacher continuation in teaching. Future studies of teacher survival should consider additional teacher-related variables.…

This paper relates the author's experience with a preservice teacher at Chicago State University. Ms. Young was a bright, intelligent student who demonstrated a high level of skill and enthusiasm for the profession of teaching--so high that she was asked to address the graduating body of student teachers with the notion that her ideals would…

This mixed methods study gathered information about the experiences of beginning special education teachers, their systems of support, and their intent to continue their careers in the field. Individual open-ended interviews were conducted with 8 first and second year special education teachers to obtain their perceptions of their first year of…