It is not uncommon for beginning teachers in Queensland (Australia) to be assigned their first teaching placement in a rural area. Many of these teachers stay there for the minimum time that they must, then seek to relocate to a coastal city. The literature and interviews with beginning rural teachers suggest that those who view the experience…

A survey of 385 special and 313 general education teachers in Virginia found that groups had similar perceptions of principal support. Work-related variables were better predictors of extent of perceived support than were demographic variables. Specific types of support were significant predictors of job satisfaction, school commitment, and…

A district-university partnership program provides an alternative route to teacher certification for noncredentialed special education teachers working in a rural California desert region. The program features locally available courses, on-campus summer courses, an alternative internship credential, collaborative structure, a coach-of-coaches…

Examines preservice teacher education and professional development in Ireland, presenting a case study of graduates from one Irish college of education during their first 10 years of teaching elementary school and noting participants' involvement in professional development and graduate studies. Participants had no formal induction programs,…

Access to reliable technology. Help from classroom aides. Out-of-classroom duties. Planning time with colleagues. Administrator accessibility. All those working conditions and more play a vital part in whether good teachers feel sufficiently satisfied to stay in their schools. Now, policymakers are beginning to gather evidence on just how much…

Due to the dearth of qualified professional teachers, policymakers and professional development programs need to focus on improving the quality of high school mathematics teaching in order to diffuse this crisis. In the middle of this crisis, the demand for new teachers is predicted to rise significantly in the next ten years. Based on the…

This article chronicles the evolution of legislation for Texas open-enrollment charter schools to their implementation by demonstrating how these schools have (or have not) used their freedom from state-mandated requirements to develop innovative learning environments as well as to bring innovative curricula into the classroom. The investigative…

Four African American teacher-researcher-participants contributed to this self-reflective autobiographical, narrative analysis of learning to teach, becoming certified, and teaching. Each participant reflected on her educational stories of experience, as all four were educated on White university campuses and transitioned to teaching in…

Principals are the leaders of their schools, they are responsible for both student and professional learning. With thought, organization, and communication, welcoming and assisting beginning teachers as they enter their new profession can be done efficiently and effectively. An administrator who not only understands the difficult induction year,…

In 1991, a study was conducted at Saint Petersburg Junior College (SPJC) to develop a set of strategies for coping with the ramifications of an aging faculty. The study was initiated as a result of projections that large numbers of aging faculty would soon be retiring in the same or consecutive years. The first step of the study consisted of…

Not only is there a shortage of qualified science teachers in Kenyan secondary schools, but also teachers are leaving the profession to take up nonteaching employment. A substantial number of qualified graduate teachers leave the profession soon after entering it. This loss of qualified science teachers from the profession affects Kenya's economic…

A research study of 300 Georgia first-year school teachers sought: (1) to identify first-year teachers' perceptions of their undergraduate education curricula; (2) to determine whether significant differences in perceptions exist among groups of first-year teachers categorized on the basis of background information; and (3) to determine which…

Two programs at San Diego State University are part of a larger program to train students to become professional bilingual (Spanish-English) teachers. One project provided support to modify five undergraduate courses in math, science, Mexican American culture and history, and child development so they could be taught in Spanish. These courses were…

In 1990, a survey was conducted of all full-time humanities and social sciences faculty at eight community colleges in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). The study collected demographic data and examined the relationship between aging (both an individual's chronological age and length of time in the system) and job satisfaction through…

The paper summarizes recruitment and retention approaches designed to assist rural school administrators in securing/holding well-prepared/qualified teachers and presents findings from a 1985 study that examined teachers' perceptions of professional preparation. Outlined recruitment approaches include paying candidate's interview and moving…