This book is intended to help teacher preparation educators, building level leaders, staff developers, and teacher mentors address school-work patterns in five critical areas that may impact teacher attrition and retention. It supports a view of professional development that fosters the active involvement of teachers in customizing their own…

This report describes U.S. K-12 teachers' satisfaction with teaching as a career and identifies some workplace-related factors associated with satisfaction. Factors examined include school and workplace characteristics, teacher background, salary, and other benefits. Results are presented in three sections. The first section describes satisfaction…

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater requires early field experience of preservice teachers. As part of the Preprofessional Block, students are assigned to a 50-hour classroom experience shadowing a Milwaukee public school teacher. The university provides transportation to the site at a cost of $65 to each student. A survey of students…

Science education and the preparation of science teachers have been of great concern over the past two decades. This research investigated the influence of an extended elementary science teaching practicum upon preservice elementary teachers' (N=19) science self-efficacy. It explored both quantitatively and qualitatively the progression of teacher…

Native American students are often placed in special education programs because their English is poor, they are unprepared for an unfamiliar environment, and traditional classrooms do not accommodate their strengths and needs. The lack of Native American special education teachers at reservation schools compounds these difficulties. Three…

This longitudinal study examined the extent to which developmentally appropriate practices of teaching and evaluation are accepted and implemented in primary schools and the relationship of teacher educational background and experience with the use of these practices. Data were obtained from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study kindergarten…

This bulletin is one of a series reporting on a nationwide study "Qualification and Preparation of Teachers of Exceptional Children," which, since its inception, has been a major project of the Office of Education. This publication reports the aspects of a broader study which deals specifically with teachers of children who are blind. The…

Examines outreach and cultural exchange in the design and delivery of social work courses offered in Canada's Aboriginal communities. Discusses the contract between the educational institution and the Aboriginal community, issues encountered by instructors in outreach programs, the appropriateness of distance education, and efforts to incorporate…

Explores the utility of L. S. Shulman's view of teaching as the transformation of subject matter in the context of a preservice secondary mathematics methods course. The paper elaborates on Shulman's view, discussing the context of the study, then presenting a case study of a seminar on lesson planning. (SM)

Investigated student teacher beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice in relation to socialization influences. Findings include early childhood student teachers endorsed developmentally-based practices more than did elementary student teachers; strong preservice experience influenced beliefs; students maintained a continuity in beliefs…

Summarizes a survey given to chairs of search committees that examine the procedures used to hire psychology faculty. Data revealed typical search processes, evaluative criteria, and factors determining who was ultimately hired. Includes statistical tables showing mean ratings of the most important criteria used to evaluate materials and…

Examines how a Canadian beginning teacher-educator transformed his knowledge about teaching in order to assist student teachers to become effective mathematic teachers. Describes how his teaching practice evolved over a three-year period and the strategies he used to structure his course to involve student teachers in constructing their own…

A teacher's journal reflects her experience of designing and teaching writing courses at a Massachusetts alternative high school for high-risk students, her experience of using writing for personal healing, and the resistance she encountered when encouraging students to use writing as a means for personal growth and overcoming trauma. (LP)

Professors from Australia's Queensland University introduce the concept of a "practernship" that is a variation of typical internship/apprenticeship programs for preservice teachers. The "practernship" combines practice teaching and internship, encourages collaboration and professional development, and promotes a holistic,…

Examines the stories that teachers tell each other in the staff room. Identifies and characterizes these stories according to what they reveal about teachers' concepts concerning power and the teachers' role. Explores how these concepts develop in the wider sociocultural climate of the school. (MJP)