The National Academy of Education (NAEd) undertook this consensus report on the evaluation and improvement of teacher preparation programs (TPPs). Specifically, this consensus report aims to (1) identify and disseminate best practices for evaluating and improving TPPs to promote teacher effectiveness and student achievement; (2) provide…

The National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) 2016 "Landscape in Teacher Preparation" has examined 875 traditional undergraduate programs that prepare elementary school teachers, finding widely variable levels of quality. Some programs prepare teachers whom parents would love to see in front of their child's classroom. Too many…

No one stakeholder group can realize lasting change on their own; nor can any reform initiative focusing on just one type of strategy create the workplace conditions needed to truly build capacity within the education profession. Rather, stakeholders must focus on collaborating, reaching common understanding, and prioritizing for ultimate impact…

This document is intended to serve as a practical guide for implementing a teacher-student data link (TSDL) that supports a range of uses at the local, regional, and state levels. The guide addresses the considerations for linking teacher and student data from multiple perspectives, including governance, policies, data components, business rules,…

Nine articles by California educators are included in this guidebook for the planning and implementation of beginning teacher support programs, with a focus on improving teacher quality and retention. An explicit relationship between the conceptual framework and the operational program increases the effectiveness of such programs. Chapters titles…

Courses in educational foundations should be an important part of the education major's program. The dangers of the traditional notions of teacher preparation and involvement of government in regulating professional concerns are discussed. (DF)

Discusses the preservice education of art teachers. Suggests that there are three major challenges for teacher education programs. Points out the need to individualize such programs, the need to update curricula in order to answer the call for reform, and the need to ensure that teachers have a firm commitment to art. (KO)

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…

This paper speculates about research findings that can be potentially powerful as content for preservice teacher education and influential upon the delivery of that content to prospective teachers. The primary source for the research findings which appear in the paper is the body of information prepared for the conference "Research on…

Effective school board leadership based on involvement and example can effectively enhance teacher performance. The first of five strategies presented to encourage maximum performance is the "Science of Teaching Program," allowing staff members, in a six-day seminar format, the opportunity to be exposed to a framework for making wise professional…

This book represents a collaborative effort among education scholars that addresses the theory, practice, and policy gaps that have plagued classrooms for a long time. Divided into three parts, it focuses on practical strategies for teaching and learning in different subject areas and at all levels; provides research-based models for improving…

Many believe that whether teachers teach students to "do" science, teach about science, or teach about technology instead, science teachers should be as culturally literate about science as possible. Also, it is believed that a philosophy of science course which uses history of science, some normative epistemologies, practical examples, and…

Asserts that art teachers must understand current learning theory and implement new cognitive concepts to provide the best art education for K-12 students. Reviews major ideas in cognitive learning theory, focusing on the idea that thinking is domain, or content, specific. (CFR)

The purpose of this document is to provide standards for the preservice professional preparation of teachers, to encourage inservice professional development, and to describe the necessary conditions for teaching and learning the social studies. These standards may be used as goals toward which the professional social studies teacher strives, as…

One of the key features of this legislation is an emphasis on teacher quality. A growing body of research has documented the importance of teacher knowledge and skill in improving student achievement. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 includes specific criteria for considering a teacher highly qualified, and other specific requirements…