Enrollment in traditional special education teacher preparation programs has declined while enrollment in alternative preparation programs has increased in Georgia (Georgia Insights, 2024). Since alternative preparation programs have become the viable recruitment vein for rural schools challenged to fill special education teaching vacancies,…

Colleges and universities are trusted with the responsibility of preparing the professionals of tomorrow. However, the number of individuals seeking a profession in education has been on a steady decline over the past 4 decades (King, 2018). This deterioration of education graduates has exacerbated the issue of poor teacher retention, leading to…

Educational school leaders are experiencing challenges that include high teacher attrition rates and staffing difficulties. The goal of this study was to determine if program exemplars from traditional teacher preparation were transferable to, and aligned with, alternative teacher preparation in an effort to provide viable options for those…

Teacher candidates need real-world experience in planning, delivering and assessing a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) so they can be prepared and confident to assist with a CSPAP in whichever school employs them after earning their degree. Physical education teacher education (PETE) programs play a significant role in…

As comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) professional development becomes increasingly available to current K-12 physical education teachers, this special feature shifts attention to the preparation of future PE teachers and teacher educators for CSPAP. The purpose of this concluding article is to summarize the undergraduate- and…

The Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) provided states with newfound flexibility on accountability measures and school improvement strategies. Many policy experts have analyzed states' ESSA plans, which explain how states use their federal funds under various provisions of the new law, as well as the approaches states take to identify and rate…

The action research methodology for this study reports descriptive statistical findings from the performance of 19 Early Childhood Education African American teacher candidates matriculating through a state-approved program at an HBCU. Researcher-moderators provided a treatment plan of focused summer workshops, conceptualized based upon the…

One of the major outcomes of the educational reform movement in the United States during the past decade has been the increased focus on the professional preparation of educators (Darling-Hammond, 1997). According to Sanders and Rivers, numerous studies indicate that educators make a significant difference in their students' education (1996). In…

Innovation and ingenuity have long been hallmarks of the U.S.' economy. Our competitive strength is built on the legacy of great innovators--from Alexander Graham Bell and Lewis Latimer to the Wright brothers and Steve Jobs. The U.S. has prized its status as a leader in developing creative thinkers and entrepreneurs, but by many estimates, it is…

The third edition of the "Standards for Academic and Professional Instruction in Foundations of Education, Educational Studies, and Educational Policy Studies" ("Standards") challenge us to envision what "a more holistic, inclusive and intellectually challenging approach to preparing educators" might look like. This…

The middle-grades program at a state university recently underwent a program redesign in an effort to ensure that teacher candidates are well prepared to teach in today's contemporary middle schools while maintaining the principles and standards established by the Association of Middle Level Educators. The purpose of this article is to explain the…

A key focus of the Obama administration's Race to the Top initiative in public education is to support states that implement plans for "recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most." Race to the Top asked states to adopt more vigorous teacher-education…

While early childhood education programs seek to provide the tools to work with children and explore content, many fail to address the social and emotional contexts in which early childhood education occurs. This is evident in the seldom addressed topic of collaboration between lead teachers and assistant teachers in the early childhood classroom.…

Alternative certification programs in Texas, Georgia, and Florida are less rigorous and do not emphasize teaching knowledge and experience. Such programs purport to solve teacher shortages and address quality concerns but may exacerbate the latter. (SK)

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The "2011 State…