The digest addresses topics related to professional training for teachers of gifted and talented students. General responsibilities of such teachers include organizing enrichment activities for students and teachers, disseminating information about innovative teaching practices and materials, and promoting integration between regular and special…

Included in this annotated bibliography of 11 publications on training and selecting principals are reports assessing various approaches and their relationship to school improvement. One article proposes a training model based on contingency theory. A sourcebook reviews hiring practice inadequacies and alternatives and recommends Hillsborough…

Out-of-field teaching is a relatively unrecognized problem in schools. This digest reviews what research shows about the extent and causes of the problem. There is much disagreement about how much and which types of education and training teachers should receive and what credentialing requirements states should have. Analysts have used various…

A one-page introduction is followed by three pages containing summaries of three journal articles and two documents on teacher selection. Mary Cihak Jensen argues that final selection decisions should be based on multiple information sources, since teaching requires proficiency in many interrelated skills. Superintendent Richard J. Caliendo…

Teacher certification is the education system's process for assuring that public school teachers possess minimum qualifications. Each state determines its own certification standards. Increased mobility among teachers suggests that teacher candidates should have information about general requirements for certification and where to locate…

Annotations of 12 articles and a research report discuss procedures for selecting principals and other school administrators and examine the hiring process from the viewpoints of both the candidates and those doing the hiring. Three articles describe model selection processes and note the problems involved in job interviews, letters of…

Emergency certification involves the issuance of teaching licenses to individuals who have not completed a traditional college or university teacher education program. This two-page information review examines the problems arising from emergency certification and its relationship to student achievement. Some alternatives to emergency certification…

This document contains a collection of ERIC Digests on supervision, a topic of critical professional importance for counselors. Following an introductory article by the guest editor, L. DiAnne Borders, "Supervision: Exploring the Effective Components," 19 digests address a different facet of supervision. The 19 digests are: (1)…

Public criticism of the quality of teaching in the schools has put pressure on teacher education programs to improve curriculum. The problem of quality instruction, however, may rest to a large extent with administrators who assign teachers inappropriately in the schools and with state education agencies that sanction the practice. One estimate is…

Today there are dozens of instruments that claim to measure leadership capacities. Although every instrument has limitations and must be used carefully, the tests can be used to identify leadership potential. This digest summarizes the reasons for using formal assessments, the attributes measured by such tests, the ways in which leadership…

Included in this annotated bibliography of 11 publications are reports asserting that principals primarily are instructional leaders whose training must include a strong mentor relationship and expanded experiential education. Subsequent reports suggest that educational programs should prepare students for the socialization aspects of their future…

Comprehensive school health education (CSHE) can help youth obtain the greatest benefits from education and become healthy and productive adults. One child out of four has an emotional, social, or physical health limitation that interferes with learning. Because schools have the capacity to reach 53 million students every year for 12 years, they…

Research suggests that teacher quality is the single most important factor in determining student achievement and that the impact of a teacher is cumulative. Students with less exposure to qualified teachers are far less likely to achieve academic success than students with more exposure. Research also shows that teachers majoring in the subject…

This ERIC Digest is an overview of the process of recruiting and selecting principals. Criteria for selecting a principal should include problem analysis, organizational ability, decisiveness, effective communication skills, and stress tolerance, along with personal qualities such as dedication, creativity, and enthusiasm. Innovative steps that…

There has been a significant increase in new foreign language programs at the elementary school level in recent years. Many of these programs, often referred to as foreign language in the elementary school or FLES programs, have been implemented to comply with state mandates, while others have been developed in response to parental pressure for…