A study undertaken by a fourteen member consortium representing five schools each of medicine, dentistry, and nursing had as its objectives to: (1) generate, assess and collectively approve a comprehensive list of teaching skills and strategies that approximates observed and representative behaviors in clinical sciences teaching in medicine,…

This study had three objectives: (1) design a competency based teacher education curriculum model for vocational-technical education (agriculture, home economics, and vocational-industrial); (2) validate the competencies by field testing them with regular vocational teachers, vocational directors, and state personnel; and (3) field test the…

A complete course outline is offered to educators and others who would prepare an intensive seminar on the sharpening of teaching skills for college and university professors. The practical methods and principles used are derived in part from careful investigation, by logic, and most frequently by experience. Five units are outlined: preparing…

A project is described which developed a course outline, competencies, and learning modules for a course in classroom evaluation which will be offered as a part of the Wisconsin Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education (VTAE) Spiral Curriculum designed to meet VTAE teacher certification requirements. The procedures outlined involved an advisory…

Programs in Spanish as a second language in the elementary school propose to develop pupils' ability to communicate in Spanish and to interact comfortably within Hispanic culture, particularly bilingual-bicultural speech communities. The Spanish SL teacher should be competent in choosing and implementing techniques and materials for teaching…

This analysis of data from the 1999-00 Schools and Staffing Survey examined the 50 states and District of Columbia on their progress toward improving teacher quality. States were evaluated on the extent to which they assessed teachers, whether they had less out-of-field teaching, and how they prepared and developed teachers. Results indicated that…

This book provides an overview of the challenges involved in improving teacher education for faculty members, department chairs, administrators, and policymakers. The book includes the concrete experiences of 12 English and foreign language faculty members at different universities who studied their teacher preparation programs. It also offers an…

The intent of this "bottom-up" project was to create a community of learners to facilitate the implementation of computer technologies in the elementary school curriculum. The participants were 6 graduate students and their professor, 10 teachers (grades 1-5), their students, and the librarian in a Professional Development School. Each…

The population of school-aged English language learners (ELLs) has consistently and significantly increased over the past decade, transforming U.S. public schools, instruction, and teacher preparation. This digest discusses the need for increased numbers of teachers of ELLs and the particular linguistic and academic characteristics of ELLs. It…

This paper describes the transformation of Idaho State University's teacher education program in response to various initiatives regarding educational change. The transformation process involved framing a standards-based preparation program. Developers created a Core Standards for Beginning Teachers that established exit outcomes for prospective…

This paper presents the process, synthesized research, and teacher training outcomes derived from a year-long process of establishing a research-based teacher education knowledge base. A broad-based committee at Pittsburg State University, Kansas, was appointed to review best practice literature, various national standards, and teacher education…

This paper outlines the nexus between developing pedagogical content knowledge and the pressures for preparing pre-service teachers to be successful on high stakes testing. Increasing expectations about what students should know and be able to do, breakthroughs in research on how children learn, and the increasing diversity of the student…

This study examined the effectiveness of an alternative certification program for secondary teachers that emphasized the need for certified teachers in rural districts. The program utilized distance learning and integrated technology. Thirty uncertified secondary teachers who taught the previous year in Louisiana public schools completed 27 hours…

This book describes results of the work by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Section 1, "Introduction," introduces the work of the National Board and discusses educational change and teacher improvement in general. Section 2, "Standard Setting in Teaching," explains that in order to appreciate the effects…

This study examined the reliability and validity of a group-assessment interview procedure designed to evaluate the verbal, interpersonal, and leadership qualities of students applying to a teacher education program. The group assessment procedure involved a 90-minute session with eight students in which three dimensions of teacher behavior were…