This book argues that the current process for teacher licensing does not always guarantee competence in the classroom, and it offers advice on how to prepare and evaluate aspiring teachers for the challenges of their profession. It places Minnesota's experience in the context of current reform efforts and suggests that developing and requiring a…

Suggests that a holistic approach to teaching prospective teachers should encompass a knowledge base drawn from three paradigms: (1) instrument/technical; (2) interpretive/constructivist; and (3) emancipative/social reconstruction. Argues that use of such an approach will result in professional maturation and an expansion in influence in the…

Describes the characteristics and procedures of an induction program for first year teachers. (DDR)

Presents goals of National Commission on Teaching and America's Future to improve education by improving teachers' knowledge and skills: (1) all children taught by teachers with knowledge, skills, and commitment; (2) teacher education programs meeting professional standards; (3) access to professional development and time for collegial work and…

This article reports the findings of a research study that investigated the knowledge base and the perceptions of professional competence of 115 general education teachers as they relate to the inclusion of students with physical disabilities. Members of the sample represented elementary and secondary teachers who were teaching in rural, urban,…

The American Federation of Teachers has developed 11 guidelines for developing programs to prepare teachers to make complex decisions identify and solve problems, and connect theory, practice, and student outcomes: (1) professional development should deepen and broaden knowledge of content; (2) professional development should provide a strong…

Recent reforms in science education call for curricula designed to support students' construction of knowledge through inquiry. Teachers need to learn new methods and content to enact reform-based curriculum, and educative materials designed to address teacher as well as student learning are one vehicle for this type of reform. This paper…

This paper explains the nature of the teacher education program at Saint Joseph's College, Rensselaer, Indiana, focusing on four distinct yet integrated components of the teacher education program. The components--education faculty; faculty from the arts, sciences, and humanities; and preK-12 classroom teachers--work collaboratively in the…

This paper reviews current literature about three tools used by teacher education programs and school districts to assess teacher candidate quality. It presents a matrix which aligns the underlying dimensions of teacher knowledge, dispositions, and skills for the STAR Teacher Interview, the Teacher Perceiver Interview, and the Praxis III Teacher…

The progressive agenda of science education reform, particularly the goal of promoting student inquiry, places substantial intellectual demands on teachers. If this reform is to succeed, the education community must do more to appreciate and address its demands. This paper presents three examples of high school physics teachers' conversations…

This study followed Sternberg and Horvath's (1995) prototype view to sketch a teaching expertise schema as the hypothetical model. An interview of 13 novice, beginning, and expert teachers was used to examine the adequacy of the model. The participants were asked to comment on slides of classroom events. Their think-out-loud protocols were coded…

Delineates the role of mentors for first year science teachers in assisting with policies and procedures, the community, and implementing model strategies. (DDR)

Student teaching or internship evaluation instruments used in teacher education programs at 11 research universities were analyzed. Their emphasis on classroom management knowledge and skills may be contributing to what many teachers see as a frustrating concentration on management and a smooth-running classroom over attention to substantive…

This report presents findings about teacher quality from two longitudinal studies, the National Longitudinal Study of "No Child Left Behind" (NLS-"NCLB"), and the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under "No Child Left Behind" (SSI-"NCLB"). The research teams for these two…

Teachers make the greatest impact on students--what they learn, how they learn it, and what they do with it. Decades of research clearly demonstrate that a quality teacher, more than any other factor, enables students to overcome obstacles to learning like poverty and can even erase the achievement gap. The problem is that many teachers lack the…