As policymakers and education leaders around the country make plans to meet the ambitious goals in the federal No Child Left Behind Act, they would be well advised to take a close look at the distribution of teacher talent. In fact, the act requires exactly that. State and local education leaders must now publicly report data on the number of poor…

Validity evidence was determined for an instrument used at a state university to measure student perception of the institutionally stressed importance of various professional traits and his/her performance of these traits. Subjects were 87 preservice teachers at the end of student teaching. Scores from the institutionally stressed importance…

The New Designs for the Comprehensive High School project developed four preliminary design specifications for the following educational areas: learner outcomes, learner process, organization, and partnerships. The three principles apparent in project papers were the design-down process, collaboration, and integration; the modes of understanding…

In 1989, at the General Membership Meeting held during the annual conference of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), members approved a formal resolution calling for the development of national standards for the preparation of bilingual/multicultural teachers. The standards presented in this document represent the culmination…

Strategies for teacher selection, recruitment, and retention are summarized in this report, which is based on results of a national survey of trends, practices, and opinions of school administrators. Thirteen chapters are contained in three sections, which deal specifically with the teacher selection, recruitment, and retention processes. The…

This speech presents a case for "joining hands" as the educational theme of the 1980s. In "joining hands" with their students, schools need to abandon assembly-line models of instruction in order to adopt learning and teaching styles that nurture students' inner potential and provide for individual differences of both teachers…

The report analyzes data on Michigan special education professional personnel as they relate to such factors as age, educational attainment, teaching experience, certificate endorsement area, and supply. The report is divided into five sections: (1) instructional-ancillary personnel and student counts; (2) personnel attrition and retention rates;…

This study compares the criteria utilized by private and public school officials in the selection of beginning teachers. A similar study undertaken in Oregon (Webb 1980) was extended by incorporating private schools. Of the 117 California school districts sent questionnaires, 88 responded--a return rate of 75 percent. Twenty-nine of the private…

A needs assessment instrument was developed to identify training competencies for rural special education teachers in Louisiana. The 49-item questionnaire addressed such issues as the curriculum offered by the teacher education program as well as the personal and professional characteristics necessary for success in the rural classroom. The…

Using 5 charts and 32 tables to display related data, this report details the current condition of teaching and teacher education in the United States. The first section, "Current Condition of Teaching in America," reports on who makes up the teaching force in schools today by age, sex, ethnic background, academic preparation, and years of…

Generic teaching knowledge and skill is seen as a central component of preservice teacher education programs. Generic domains of teaching are the common base of knowledge and skills important to all teachers regardless of subject matter or grade level. Most classifications of generic teaching skills fall generally into one of two categories, one…

A survey was completed by 194 secondary school English teachers in Switzerland. Data indicate that: (1) a relatively small number of teachers have degrees from universities outside Switzerland; (2) the study of English generally does not begin until the age of 15; (3) the great majority of English classes meet for three or four hours a week; (4)…

Previous research studies revealed that teachers' background characteristics (mainly educational trade experience, and teaching experience levels) had different effects on teaching experience. Since an examination of teaching effectiveness should be considered in the teacher certification process, the study focused on determining the effects of…

To determine the duties of English supervisors and the effect of certain organizational factors upon them, a questionnaire was sent to 702 English language arts supervisors in 50 states. Replies were received from 354. An interpretation of the data provided a profile of the average English supervisor, a description of his position and its…

Teachers on Indian reservations or in Indian communities are a specific homogeneous group since they teach the same minority group, live in a specific but often different area, and function in a cross-cultural situation. This study examined teachers of the Papago Reservations and delineated obvious differences between them. Profiles are given for…