This report by Delaware's Governor and Secretary of Education, in consultation with the State Board of Education, sets forth a plan to improve professional standards and accountability in the Delaware school system. The report focuses on how Delaware can assure the quality of educators for its students, and thus raise student achievement. The…

Preservice teachers have pre-existing conceptions of teaching that develop throughout many years of being students in the presence of teachers. Teacher educators are faced with the challenge of making the invisible parts of being a teacher visible to their students. This paper presents some of the activities, especially related to videotaped case…

This study examined whether sending frequent encouraging electronic mail (e-mail) messages to elementary and special education student teachers would improve their teaching skills and performance on the Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching examination. In 2001, 43 elementary and special education student teachers enrolled in a…

Describes a study conducted of adult distance learners involved in a graduate special education teacher education program delivered via televised instruction. Focus group methodologies and data analysis found instructor skills, interaction, group dynamics, and site facilitators to be critical elements in effective televised instruction. Discusses…

This study investigated the relative importance of 9 instructional factors (amount learned, exam fairness, enthusiasm, individual rapport, organization, assignments, group interaction, breadth of materials, course difficulty) in 229 college students' global evaluations of faculty effectiveness in 3 disciplines (accounting, education, geology).…

Norms of undergraduate teaching behavior were examined in a survey of 302 biology, history, mathematics, and psychology faculty in 2 institution types, research universities and comprehensive colleges. The study investigated the perceived impropriety of specific planning, in-class, interpersonal, curricular, and testing practices. The survey…

Describes a study examining research on classroom management and translating the findings into a skills-based program on effective classroom management. Reports that research-based concepts and principles are meaningful and of practical value to teachers. Recommends a conceptual- and skills-based approach to classroom management for development of…

Discusses problems in the use of performance support systems in higher education. The following issues are addressed (1) development, including software development, collaboration with users, and instructor skills; (2) access, including physical environment limitations; (3) training for students and faculty; (4) student resistance; (5) teaching…

A graduate teacher education program at the University of Colorado prepares special educators for urban school environments through an urban school immersion experience while learning necessary instructional and collaborative skills. Interviews with graduate students and mentor teachers addressed the special educator's role and the effectiveness…

Teachers (n=84), principals (n=108), and teacher educators (n=128) were surveyed to determine their views about the most important components of professional development schools and the most important skills that should be taught to teachers who are active in professional development schools. (IAH)

Examines one professor's beginning as a reflective practitioner who practiced critical reflection in teaching and learning, highlighting research on students' beliefs about good teacher characteristics. Interviews with and observations of elementary students examined their beliefs about what characteristics made a good teacher. Results indicated…

Used focus groups and questionnaires to determine what influenced successful elementary teachers' development and what they considered important for current teacher education programs. Teachers attributed much of their success to personal characteristics developed throughout their lives. They considered the practicum component of their preservice…

Describes the origins and development of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, noting challenges it faced; critical documents guiding its work; five core propositions central to its work; the role of teachers in defining and improving their profession; and the partnership of teacher unions, local school districts, and schools in…

Presents an interview that shares the perspective of North Carolina's governor, Jim Hunt, who was a founding member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). In the interview, Mr. Hunt offers insights on the role of states in National Board Certification and reflects on the future of the NBPTS. (SM)

Four authors provide a profile of one school district's efforts to recruit and support a teacher willing to meet the challenge of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. A partnership among the district's teacher union, the superintendent, a school principal, and the teacher emerged to produce the district's first…