State control over education appears to be increasing as a result of state efforts to develop specific programs in response to calls for educational excellence. Missouri's Excellence in Education Act of 1985 was just such an effort and was aimed particularly at improving teaching by attracting and retaining teachers of high quality. The act…

Issues related to the improvement of science teaching are examined in this collection of proposals and papers from the 1985 National Forum for School Science. Generalized comments are offered on strategies for strengthening science teaching and on selected proposals concerned with the recruitment and retention of science teachers. Topic areas…

Questionnaires were mailed in 1986 to school board presidents in small rural districts across the United States in order to identify the characteristics of successful rural school superintendents and the qualities that rural school boards look for when hiring a superintendent. There were 93 usable responses from 28 states. Analysis of the…

In an effort to explore significant supply and demand variables that affect the teacher labor market in the Southeast, a qualitative research study was undertaken to examine the market patterns of initial career choice, position availability, recruitment and selection, turnover, and mobility of public school teachers. An ethnographic investigation…

This report deals with quality basic education in Georgia. It recommends that: (1) the definition of a quality basic education be periodically updated; (2) vocational education be updated to increase responsiveness to supply and demand and to strengthen the involvement of business and industry; (3) new teachers be attracted by targeting both…

Six migrant educational programs were conducted in Iowa during fiscal year 1981. In the 4 programs held during the regular school year, 9 teachers and 3 aides (all bilingual) served an enrollment of 224 children, 186 of whom were "Spanish dominate." During the 2 summer programs, 6 teachers and 6 aides (all bilingual) served 159 children,…

Remote and isolated locations in Australia provide the greatest challenges for improving provision of education options and pathways for children and families. These challenges are often compounded when considering the needs and aspirations of Indigenous communities, especially those that adhere to traditional cultures and lifestyles. In response…

This final report describes the Career Development for Non-Traditional College Students as Special Education Paraprofessionals Project, a Michigan project designed to develop career paths and employment opportunities for paraprofessionals who work with children, youth, and adults with disabilities. Its intent was to develop a value-based…

This report discusses progress in achieving goals, general program effectiveness, and progress toward institutionalization of the Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP) at Indiana University Northwest. This program has two major goals: (1) to change what the urban teacher knows and is able to do and (2) to significantly affect the education of…

To combat the shortage and high turnover rate of rural special education teachers, Utah State University (USU) special education faculty members developed university-school district partnerships. The partnerships recruit and train local community members as certified mild/moderate special education teachers and supervise student participation in…

This publication explains promising practices in improving teacher quality. Chapter 1, Achieving Excellence in the Teaching Profession, discusses educational, economic, and social change; teacher recruitment and development challenges; and opportunities for renewing the teaching profession. Chapter 2, Recruiting Talented and Diverse People into…

This paper calls for a major reexamination of the educational system as it relates to under-represented minorities in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. The paper sets forth experiences gained from years of working in both K-12 and higher education with under-represented minorities. The following topics are examined: the importance…

This report discusses trends in California's teaching force for 2002: shortage of qualified teachers (e.g., the shortage varies across different subjects and is expected to worsen due to teacher retirements and growth in numbers of students); getting good teachers (e.g., California's underprepared teachers continue to be inequitably distributed…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a University of Northern Colorado project designed to enhance programs for preparing teachers to work with students with sensory impairments from linguistically diverse backgrounds. Project accomplishments included: (1) financially supporting 18 trainees who were pursuing a graduate degree…

This booklet presents a plan for improving Oklahoma's K-12 education. Section 1, "Getting Serious about Standards for Both Students and Teachers," includes: developing high quality student standards linked to high quality teacher standards; establishing state professional standards boards; professionally accrediting all schools of…