The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between mentoring and Early Career Teacher retention, within an urban school district in Maryland. The research examined mentoring and teacher retention in an urban school district. There were 11 participants in the study. Seven of the participants remained in the district after their…

The first three years for new teachers can be quite challenging. Several school districts have induction programs to help these teachers develop their efficacies and remain in the classrooms. One of the main attributes of induction is mentoring. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the relationship between mentoring and…

This study of early-career teachers identified a significant relationship between upper-elementary teachers' mathematical content knowledge and their students' mathematics achievement, after controlling for student- and teacher-level characteristics. Findings provide evidence of the relevance of teacher knowledge and perceptions for teacher…

This study sought to answer the question: "To what extent do prior beliefs about and experiences of teaching and learning influence the instructional practices of new independent school teachers," who are generally not required to have any formal pedagogical training or hold teacher certification prior to beginning full-time employment.…

We report the results of survey research that collected responses of an identical sample (31 beginning mathematics and science teachers, elementary and middle school level) that graduated from a reform-based mathematics and science teacher preparation program, the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP). We compared responses of the…

In this study we report the results of survey research that collected responses of an identical sample (31 beginning mathematics and science teachers, elementary and middle school level) that graduated from a reform-based mathematics and science teacher preparation program, the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP). Our aim was to…

This study sought to determine how the English methods course is taught in Maryland colleges and to evaluate its effectiveness in preparing undergraduate English majors for their first years of teaching in Maryland schools. Questionnaires were completed by one methods teacher at each of 12 Maryland colleges, by one supervisor of beginning English…

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), schools districts, and institutions of higher education have initiated a number of efforts to improve teacher quality and professional development. The first section of this report highlights the recommendations of leading commissions and reports released in the past ten years pertaining to…

Twelve major papers delivered during this conference on agricultural education in the Northeastern states are included in this volume: (1) "Status of Pennsylvania Special Needs Students in Vocational Agriculture: Phase IV--Job Performance Follow-Up," by Dennis C. Scanlon and Connie D. Baggett; (2) "Education, Age and Experience:…