This monograph identifies key policy areas that support the concept of teaching for understanding. Part 1, "Teaching for Understanding," explores the mission and practices associated with teaching for understanding, presenting this practice from the viewpoint of the student, teacher, and school system. Part 2, "Policy Areas,"…

Argues that middle school educators and administrators need professional preparation specific to middle school students' unique social, emotional, and educational needs. Focuses on the importance of the principal to gain appropriate training and foster professional staff preparation and development. Contains recommendations for creating…

The United States has engaged in intensive reform efforts in school mathematics education in the decade since the publication of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Standards for School Mathematics. This context has generated interest in how to best develop reform-oriented teachers. In this article the authors describe their thinking…

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to describe the revision of an experimental preservice teacher education program at Fordham University (New York) and to report the level of interns' perceived self-efficacy at the end of the summer instructional training laboratory. The method for revising the design of the Internship Fellowship Program using…

This thesis reports on a 1996 survey of Wisconsin art educators (N=161) concerning attitudes, college preservice background, availability of graduate level course work, and perceptions of working with students with exceptional education needs (EEN). An introductory chapter provides an overview of developments leading to passage of Public Law…

There is a tremendous gap in the research of the moral and ethical dimensions of teacher dispositions. Teacher dispositions need to be reviewed, re-evaluated and constructed with a plan in mind to accommodate what we, as educators, now know about the legitimate and unique differences in learning at every age. The purpose of this research was to…

An evaluation mosaic brings together different methods and forms to present an overall picture of the impact this professional learning experience had on teachers' practices and on student achievement. Using this framework, professional developers were able to determine whether they were getting the results they wanted--and they did.

This report provides results of a General Accounting Office review of the Delta Teachers Academy, a program funded primarily by the federal Department of Education to upgrade the subject area knowledge and teaching skills of elementary and secondary teachers in the Lower Mississippi Delta region (involving rural areas of Arkansas, Illinois,…

The first section of this booklet discusses the union role in assuring teacher quality, focusing on the teacher development continuum (preservice preparation, entry level standards, induction programs and the granting of tenure, standards for granting tenure, and continuing professional development) and the union role in assuring quality teaching…

The Ontario College of Teachers licenses, governs, and regulates teaching practice. Its mandate includes providing leadership in developing standards of practice. This paper examines the mandate of the Standards of Practice and Education Committee and work of the staff in the Standards of Practice and Education Unit. After describing development…

In 1998, the Board of Directors for the Washington State Institute for Public Policy directed staff to study teacher quality. The Institute examined three teacher preparation and development programs covering the early stages of teachers' careers: pre-service teacher preparation, beginning teacher assistance, and professional certification.…

Early childhood education in Hong Kong is in a transition time. The Hong Kong government's Education Commission is urging the field of early childhood education to engage in a substantial paradigm shift in order to achieve the goals of educational reform (Education Commission, 1999a). Informed by recent overseas research, government directives…

This document describes the mentoring relationship from the perspectives of several virtual schools that have built mentoring programs to assist their new teachers. Each school's mentoring program is unique and has been designed specifically for the school's staff, size, and instructional approach. These schools have learned that a successful…

This monograph describes and analyzes the New Haven Unified School District's teacher quality system, noting the role the personnel office plays in that system. While this urban California district remains a low-wealth district and serves a diverse student population, it has a reputation for excellent schools. One of the factors contributing to…

To encourage states to share information about teacher professional development strategies and initiatives the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) sponsors the SHEEO-Eisenhower Education Network, an offshoot of the Eisenhower Professional Development Program, which focuses on long-term, content-specific support for teachers,…