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…

Traces the development of teacher certification throughout the century, and discusses the current alternative certification movement. The discussion provides a context for the remaining articles of this special issue. These studies indicate the feasibility of alternative certification in teacher recruitment. (SLD)

Three broad challenges to Thailand's educational system (participation, effectiveness, and resources) have deep, far- reaching consequences for the teaching profession. Major problems include teacher shortages in critical areas; low salaries; and recruitment, qualification, and professional-development inadequacies. Teacher/leadership programs are…

States have created "alternate" routes to teacher certification. Comparison of alternate and college-based programs reveals clear trends in recruitment but a mixed picture regarding development of expertise. Alternate certification represents a radical departure from the current norm of teacher preparation. Several factors have led to…

Reducing class size was considered an important element in a revised health course at Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania). However, reducing class size to approximately 15 students per class would require 38 sections, more than the health faculty could handle. To recruit additional instructors, the course was marketed to faculty and administrators…

This paper identifies issues associated with the supply and demand of culturally and linguistically diverse teaching professionals, particularly special educators. It notes an alarming disparity between the supply and the demand of special education teaching professionals representing diverse populations. First, data on general and special…

Project 30 is a collaborative effort involving 30 representative institutions of higher education whose mandate is the redesign the way that prospective teachers are educated at the nation's colleges and universities. Faculties of arts and sciences and faculties in education are engaged in joint action for fundamental reform. The 30 participating…

This study approaches the issue of quality in the teaching force using a microeconomic framework that applies the concept of "opportunity cost." As teaching is a low-paid profession, accepting a teaching position may be associated with high opportunity costs (foregone benefits) for more academically talented college students because they could…

This report addresses questions related to increasing the numbers of Latino teachers in U.S. classrooms and improving the preparation of those teachers and all teachers of Latino children. The report presents demographic data on Latinos concerning: percentage of total population, population projections, states of residence, median age, educational…

The Loan Forgiveness Program (LFP) was designed to recruit bilingual individuals in the following shortage areas in the New York City public schools: (1) special education; (2) school social work; (3) educational evaluation; (4) speech and hearing handicapped; (5) school psychology, guidance, and counseling; (6) physical therapy; and (7)…

This study describes the Michigan special education work force (as of 1988-89) with regard to six issues, one primary and five supplemental, having to do with the need for and supply of special educators and attempts to predict future personnel needs. The primary issue concerns the factors that will affect the teacher supply and demand in the near…

A state-by-state overview of activities related to teacher policies and 11 tables reflecting types of policies in the states are presented in this working paper. Table 1 shows that most states require teacher education students to complete specific programs or coursework and that many also require some demonstration of competence. Table 2…

Florida's 1983 Legislature directed the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission to conduct a study of colleges of education in Florida. The Commission examined principally those areas relatively untouched by recent or impending changes. Legislation, board of education rules, department of education initiatives and independent actions by…

The need for higher education to shift from a policy of nondiscrimination to one of affirmative action is examined, with note taken of the clear opportunity for higher education to take advantage of faculty positions being vacated due to retirement during the mid-to-late 1990s. Preparations can be made now to provide opportunities for minority…

The symposium whose proceedings are included in this document was designed to inform diverse segments of society of the catastrophic decline in the supply of mathematics and science teachers. It was also seen as a first step in a continuing dialogue among educators, legislators, and corporate executives in New York State. The symposium was, thus,…