While policymakers have tried to improve teacher workforce effectiveness by raising certification requirements, research shows that credentials correlate little with teaching excellence, as measured by student performance. School districts do little additional screening and commonly award tenure after two or three years regardless of performance.…

The 2009 edition of the "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) third annual review of state laws, rules and regulations that govern the teaching profession. This year's report is a comprehensive analysis of the full range of each state's teacher policies, measured against a realistic…

The Idaho edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the third annual look at state policies impacting the teaching profession. It is hoped that this report will help focus attention on areas where state policymakers can make changes that will have a positive impact on teacher…

This edition of "Network" reports on state-level activities to increase diversity in the teaching force and to prepare teachers to work with increasingly diverse student populations. The studies took place in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. An overview and information on recruitment, preparation, credentialing, and…

This literature review examines alternative routes to teacher certification and presents alternative certification regulations and policies for 19 states. Three categories of nontraditional personnel preparation programs are noted: nontraditional recruitment programs, retraining programs, and alternative certification programs. A definition of…

This report describes major issues in teaching and current initiatives and proposals to strengthen teaching in New York State. An overview is presented of state action and local projects aimed at teacher improvement in the areas of: (1) recruitment and preservice teacher education; (2) teacher certification; (3) staff development and other…

A forum, convened to consider the subject of beginning teacher induction, focused on questions about: (1) the importance of the induction phase; (2) whose domain induction is; (3) what happens to the teacher in this phase; (4) training that is most needed in this phase; (5) how induction is related to licensure; and (6) whether induction is unique…

A summary is presented of findings from a survey that sought to record the opinions of teachers and administrators in the Alaskan schools on key educational issues. Results of previous nationwide surveys are synthesized on the topics of teacher education programs, teacher certification, inservice teacher education programs, and incentive programs.…

A current shortage of mathematics and science teachers exists in the United States. In response to this shortage, several states established incentive programs to increase the number of students training in these shortage areas or to encourage current teachers to upgrade their preparation for teaching mathematics and science. This report reviews…

The role of teacher educators is particularly significant for the welfare of a democratic society and for the education of its children and youth. Recently, however, the decline in enrollment in teacher education programs and in school-age children poses pervasive and serious problems, leading to the curtailment of programs and the retrenchment of…

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform is committed to making high-performing middle-grades schools the norm rather than the exception. The Forum believes that specialized preparation of middle-grades educators will produce competent and caring teachers who are well-qualified to teach young adolescents. Therefore, the Forum strongly…

Fifteen rural school superintendents surveyed in Nevada believed that raising licensing requirements would only exacerbate problems in recruiting qualified substitute teachers. They also noted that rural school districts do little to recruit substitute teachers beyond newspaper advertisements. Offers suggestions for improving recruitment while…

The Substitute Vocational Assistant Program (S.V.A.P.) was designed to provide highly motivated high school graduates with the opportunity to obtain New York State Education Department certification and employment as a vocational/trade education teacher. The program is a comprehensive experience, 5 and one half years in length, that includes a…

Employed and retired engineers and scientists are increasingly being recognized as an underused resource for responding to the need to recruit persons to become qualified teachers of science and mathematics in elementary and secondary schools and to enrich the science curriculum. Two strategies predominate to use this resource. To increase the…

The supply of traditional school of education graduates must be augmented to meet the demand for science and mathematics teachers. This report examines recent programmatic responses to breaking down institutional barriers. In most instances examined, special programs were designed to prepare mathematics and science teachers, and each program was…