Drawing on nationally representative data from the 1988 to 2018 school years, the authors provide an overview of some of the key changes in the characteristics of first-year teachers in the U.S., including racial/ethnic identity, education levels, subject area, and certification status. The data also show that new teachers have become increasingly…

Teachers in Japan earn tenure on their first day of employment--not after two years of experience based on evaluations of teaching performance or student test scores. This is almost too good to be true. If tenure is so easy to attain, how do the Japanese make sure their teachers, especially novice teachers hired with little teaching experience,…

As teaching has become a major focus, teacher evaluation is currently the primary tool being promoted to improve it. Thus, most states are dramatically overhauling their evaluation systems for teachers and administrators. What we really need is the conception of teacher evaluation as part of a teaching and learning system that supports continuous…

Recent reforms (such as New Jersey's alternative certification requirements) aimed at attracting higher quality teacher candidates, combined with a predicted teacher shortage and changes in professional attitudes and values, are providing increased opportunities for all kinds of teachers. Suddenly, private schools are valuing candidates with…

Rather than mandating more preservice coursework or raising standardized test score requirements, states should pursue performance-based teacher licensing by designing a test of literacy and writing skills, alternative training programs, and assessments of teaching performance for novice teachers seeking long-term certification. RAND and ETS…

The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium is engaged in a multistate effort to craft model teacher licensing standards. Preparation programs must be redesigned to ensure that all candidates have developed a strong foundation of content and pedagogical knowledge, can demonstrate this knowledge in practice, and have exhibited…

Student learning must be touchstone by which teachers and teacher educators are gauged. Unfortunately articles in November 1996 "Kappan" on "Quality Teaching for the 21st Century" don't support this statement. In contrast to three national certification initiatives, Oregon's teacher licensure system (Oregon Work Sampling…

Based on information from interviews with 50 first- and second-year teachers in Massachusetts, proposes a mixed model for the teaching career: one that would be responsive to the needs of both teachers who envision long-term careers and those who envision short-term stays in teaching. Draws implications for teacher recruitment and retention…