The over-all purpose of this research project was to improve teacher efficiency in the undergraduate special education program at Southern Connecticut State College through the training of prospective teachers in the following three areas: interpersonal skills, attitudes and values toward minority groups, and clinical teaching approaches for…

Attempting to develop a framework for personnel development programs which train personnel to work with individuals who have special needs, this article discusses the inadequacies of traditional grouping patterns in education, then identifies those special skills needed by school personnel in addition to the skills taught in traditional teacher…

This report contains national information about the productivity of teacher preparation programs in terms of quantity and quality (i.e., certification level) of its degree graduates who became employed as teachers in public and private schools. Data come from three large national probability samples of teachers taken over 7 years. The main sources…

Education is a broader, more varied, longer lasting process than schooling. To meet changing social demands, teacher education programs are being adapted to prepare educators for diverse, nonschool settings. Using a synergetic approach, three skill areas are important for these teachers: systemic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal relationships.…

Teacher trainees enrolled in graduate-level, special education methods courses were asked to rate themselves on the attainment of eight teaching competencies. Their self-evaluations were correlated with independent ratings by three teacher trainers who participated as expert raters. Self-ratings and ratings by participating experts did not…

The central research question addressed at the National Center for Teacher Education is, "What do teacher education programs contribute to teachers' learning?" This article describes how this question is explored, conceptualization of key terms in the question, data collection strategies, and contributions and limitations of the Center's…

The study reported in this symposium created a profile of teacher education graduates which raises issues related to teacher professionalism and teacher retention in the field. A common teacher education follow-up survey instrument was administered to beginning professionals from seven different universities in five states. Data were gathered from…

This study investigated how principals rated the competencies of University of North Florida (UNF) beginning teachers, had the principals identify weaknesses in the beginning teachers' preparation, and asked for suggestions for program improvement. The data were gathered through the use of surveys, interviews, and observations. The principals'…

In order to raise the quality of teaching and teacher education in Uruguay, a program of innovation and change was considered at a 1986 educational conference. Conference goals included identifying ways to: (1) increase opportunities to promote innovation and change; (2) search for strategies to encourage creative problem solving; (3) increase…

A need exists for a comprehensive inservice teacher education delivery system which: (1) is sequential; (2) is based on identified teacher needs through classroom observations and analysis of unit and daily lesson plans; and (3) promotes professional growth and facilitates the achievement of program goals. A survey conducted by professors with the…

This document presents a qualitative research study and an annotated bibliography on the characteristics of superlative teachers. For "A Qualitative Study of Excellence in Teaching," Herbert Van Schaack selected and observed nine elementary and secondary school teachers and three college and university professors. The elementary and secondary…

The process for initiating an inservice program begins with the appointment of an Inservice Education Steering Committee (IESC), composed of teachers, teacher aides, parents, and administrators. In the first phase of the model, the IESC reaches a consensus on what inservice education is, why it is needed, and who plans and conducts it. In the…

Comparative research was conducted on two preservice teacher education field experience programs. The "Tutoring Program" was designed to place participants in active teaching roles by having them prepare remedial lessons and tutor pupils. The "Teacher Apprentice Program" was designed to expose participants to a full range of teaching…

Evaluated the effectiveness of mathematics inservice for elementary teachers delivered in an institute format to improve the teachers' ability to provide meaningful, effective mathematics instruction. Describes the institute program and provides teachers' responses to questions related to mathematics teaching after the institute. (YP)

The Student Teachers' Feelings-of-Preparedness to Teach Scale and individual interviews examined perceptions of first-year Canadian teachers about their preparedness to teach. Includes conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of their two-year teacher education program at the University of British Columbia, suggestions for program…