Teacher warranty programs are one way that teacher preparation programs can provide follow-up support to their graduates and assurance of the quality of their graduates to employers and the general public. A survey of 105 teacher preparation institutions revealed that only 8 have implemented warranty programs, but their experience suggests that…

This publication explains promising practices in improving teacher quality. Chapter 1, Achieving Excellence in the Teaching Profession, discusses educational, economic, and social change; teacher recruitment and development challenges; and opportunities for renewing the teaching profession. Chapter 2, Recruiting Talented and Diverse People into…

This paper reviews several articles with language-based teacher empowerment themes, discussing empowerment in relation to secondary school language teaching (particularly less commonly taught language teaching) and teacher development. The paper extrapolates from the ideas proposed that second language teachers can be empowered, or at least set on…

This study examined the need to better define and describe the concept of teacher leadership, especially from the point of view of the beginning teacher. It focused on teacher leadership as perceived by nine preservice and 3 relatively new inservice elementary teachers from a 5-year integrated Bachelor's/Master's teacher preparation program.…

Carnegie Corporation of New York and other funders are undertaking a reform initiative, "Teachers for a New Era," to stimulate construction of excellent teacher education programs at selected colleges and universities. Success will require radical change in allocation of resources, academic organization, criteria for evaluating participating…

This publication presents papers given at a 1998 joint meeting of the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association which focused on teacher quality. One common thread of this conference was criticism of the growing practice of granting emergency certification to unprepared or underprepared teachers. The papers address how to…

This publication discusses how unions work to ensure teacher quality. Section 1, "The Union Role in Assuring Teacher Quality" presents the American Federation of Teachers convention resolution adopted on July 19, 1998. It explains the context of teacher quality; the teacher development continuum and the need for change (preservice…

This book helps school systems and teacher mentors achieve a systematic approach to teacher induction and mentoring programs, offering over 60 checklists, planning guidelines, and assessment tools. Part 1, "Preparation for Mentor Training," includes (1) "From Master Teacher to Masterful Mentor," (2) "Assessing Your…

This book provides a blueprint for the professional development of urban teachers that fosters new communities of learning, embraces diversity, and prepares teachers through community and collaborative partnerships. It presents a model of a community teacher that embraces the communities where urban youth live. Case studies illustrate the…

This paper examines collaborative research by a Brazilian public university and public elementary school, highlighting a thematic program of applied research and teaching that addressed improvement in teaching and learning quality through inservice teacher education. The project was designed to build a knowledge base of teacher learning and…

Drawing on 11 years' experience with a problem-based learning master's in business education program, educators at Ohio University identify critical issues in implementation of the approach, including definition of goals, elements of the curriculum development process, problem design and method of extracting learning, the teacher's role, skills…

Examines the efforts, in four European countries, to increase the professionalization of teacher training. France recently elevated the status of teachers to civil servants and strengthened certification procedures. Germany retains a high degree of academic excellence and professional training. England and Wales have increased local autonomy and…

A University of London (England) study investigated attitudes of 282 graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) concerning teaching skill instruction they receive. Pre-workshop surveys over three years found a consistent pattern of anxieties and problems. Workshops were provided to address these concerns. The workshops used brainstorming, simulation,…

Reports on a small-scale study that examined deficiencies in pre-service geography teachers' subject knowledge. The British pre-service teachers were all studying for Post Graduate Certificates in Education and answered questions regarding their subject knowledge and educational background. Documents definite weaknesses and identifies areas for…

This paper describes a case study of the use of cases in teacher education, comparing the responses of three prospective teachers to three cases of teaching. In an introduction to teaching course, the teacher educator used the three cases to provide alternative images of practice, hoping to influence the students' beliefs about teaching and about…