The goal of a 2-year vision teacher training project is to provide the coursework instruction and student teaching opportunities necessary for Oregon certification as teacher of the visually impaired. The program was designed in response to several conditions affecting services for visually impaired students living in seven eastern Oregon…

To meet the need for trained teachers for rural special education, especially for teaching the severely/profoundly handicapped, the Severe/Profound Handicaps Training Program was established by West Virginia University. The program consists of 20 hours of coursework and 9 hours of practicum experience, leading to a Master's degree and/or teaching…

This report on the current status of teacher education in Minnesota, and plans for program improvements, is based on responses to a survey distributed to all 26 institutions of higher education approved to prepare teachers, and random samples from public and private school teachers and principals. The issues covered in the report include: (1)…

The extent of faculty vacancies in colleges of engineering, the effects of such vacancies upon research and instructional programs, and the nature of the competition between academia and industry in hiring engineering faculty were surveyed. The focus is on permanent full-time faculty positions in the following major engineering fields:…

This document consists of the first two issues of a new newsletter of the National Clearinghouse for Profession in Special Education (NCPSE). The following articles are featured: "Diversity in the Special Education Teaching Force" (Judy L. Wald), which discusses reasons for the lack of teachers in special and general education from…

Senate Bill (SB) 1422 required the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to review the requirements for earning and renewing teaching credentials. This report presents the results of the review. Part 1, "Overview of the Comprehensive Review of Teaching Credential Requirements," examines the purpose and structure of the review…

This paper asserts that the growth and maintenance of failed urban school districts that have miseducated minority children in poverty for over 50 years is a predictable, explainable phenomenon. The essay suggests that the extensive resources funneled into these systems are used for increasing district bureaucracies rather than improving…

This paper describes a program that prepares recent immigrants and refugees, currently living in the community, to become certified classroom teachers. The Newcomers-Extended Teacher Education Program (ETEP) provides opportunities for recent immigrants and refugees who have completed a bachelor's degree in their home nation or the United States to…

This report is the second in a four-part series of research reports covering teacher supply, demand, quality, and policy. It focuses on the diversity of the Texas teaching force in terms of race/ethnicity and gender, explaining that the Texas teaching force is far from matching the diversity of the student body. After discussing why ethnic…

This paper describes teacher professional development through field-based education within the expected standards of the teaching profession, drawing from research and experience with current trends and practices in teacher education and student learning. Today's teachers must be prepared to play a more vital role in diverse 21st-century schools.…

Despite increases in teacher education enrollments, urban schools continue to suffer from serious staffing vacancies, due in part to the shortage of prospective minority teachers. This article lists representative programs operating on Federal, state, higher education, and school district levels designed to recruit teachers for placement in urban…

Discusses problems in attracting and retaining qualified minority group teachers. Some reasons minority teachers leave school districts are lack of an induction process, isolation from other faculty members, economics, and diminishing prestige of teaching. Recommendations involving universities, public schools, state legislators and agencies,…

Describes the Teach for America teacher corps which places recent graduates of selective colleges in teaching positions at inner-city and rural schools plagued by shortages. The program, funded by high-profile benefactors, has participants make a two-year commitment. It has raised great controversy, particularly among educators who value rigorous…

Examines policy issues on teacher supply and retention in the United Kingdom. The paper discusses the contribution made by teacher education courses and notes emerging trends related to student recruitment. It describes three policy-related issues for analyzing recruitment statistics and considers methods to ameliorate the supply problem. (SM)

Examines the need for better preparation of teachers to live and work in rural Australia. Uses responses from a rural Queensland community meeting to discuss preparation needs related to multiage classrooms, cultural differences, and school-community involvement. Describes a new internship/mentor program at Queensland University of Technology that…