A conversation about the return of a university professor to the elementary school classroom as a first-grade teacher of English as a Second Language shows that some of the problems new teachers have are actually issues of ritual. There are no rituals in the schools that transform teachers into their new identities as teachers. (SLD)

The present study examined the concerns of teacher candidates in an early field experience. Thirty-five teacher candidates completed the Teacher Concerns Checklist (TCC, Fuller & Borich, 2000) at the beginning, middle and end of their early field experiences. Results showed that teacher candidates ranked impact as the highest concern, self as…

This study had four objectives: (1) an empirical validation of a conceptual framework about the cognitive functioning of beginning teachers, including the role of the concepts of subjective theory, professional self, self-image, self-esteem, job motivation, task perception, and future perspective; (2) trial and refinement of a semi-structured…

This preliminary study reviews the journals of two teachers working side-by-side, a supervising teacher/mentor and a student teacher. The student teacher, a certification student, had a business degree, had worked in the business world for three years, and wanted to become an elementary classroom teacher. The supervising teacher, an experienced…

In 2000, the Finance Project received a planning grant to launch a new initiative on financing professional development in education. This report reflects and summarizes what the Finance Project learned during the planning year about both traditional systems of professional development and reform efforts and how they are financed, focusing on…

This paper describes the Entry Year Assistance Program (EYAP), a mentoring program for novice teachers, offered by the School of Education at Chadron State College (Nebraska). The program supports beginning teachers who are geographically isolated in Nebraska's panhandle. A discussion of the theoretical basis for teacher mentoring includes…

School districts and a college of education in Omaha, Nebraska, collaborate to reallocate existing resources for a teacher induction program that boosts the quality of teaching by both novice and experienced teachers and enhances job satisfaction. The program improves teacher quality by providing new teachers with mentors, continuing their…

Argues for an ecological approach to supporting beginning teachers in critical inquiry classrooms, bridging the end of college with the beginning of teaching. School-university partnerships supporting reflective practices by creating large numbers of inquiry-based educators within school districts are needed. Journal entries from a student teacher…

Goal-directed reflection (GDR) is a strategy that targets the contemplative examination of specific aspects of teaching. The GDR process can be used by a PETE program that uses a systematic approach to supervision. The process consists of identifying specific teaching behaviors, aligning these target behaviors with Praxis III/Pathwise domains,…

Teachers should look to mentors for leadership as they move into the 21st century. Mentors serve a valuable purpose in a discipline which is constantly on the move--not only do they provide leadership and guidance to new teachers, but the newer teachers also provide a new perspective from which the seasoned veterans can benefit. A large pool of…

This booklet discusses what teachers may encounter in their first year of teaching, presenting information from teachers themselves. Information comes mainly from a series of discussions held among winners of the First Class Teachers Award sponsored every year by Sallie Mae, a corporation dedicated to education. Focus group discussions with…

This paper explores a model of professional development that theoretically extends to new teachers a bridge from inquiry-oriented preparation into the first years of teaching. Inquiry-oriented teacher education habituates novice teachers into professional habits of heart and mind that are difficult to sustain given the reigning modes of…

Through the comparison of two induction models, the present study addressed changes in novice teacher attitudes toward teaching, program elements, and the relative merit of involvement of the university in induction programs. In terms of attitudes toward teaching, postinduction scores of novices participating in the formal team model (N=14) were…

This paper describes the efforts of the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University, Virginia, to deal with the teacher shortage crisis by partnering with surrounding school divisions to help new teachers with provisional licenses meet the daily challenge of teaching while fulfilling their state licensure requirements. The Teacher…

In 2000, the Finance Project received a planning grant to launch a new initiative on financing professional development in education. This report contributes to the understanding of resources required to successfully implement, replicate, or scale up professional development initiatives. The first section examines what preservice and inservice…