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…

Papers by teacher education practitioners, on the topic of evaluation of teacher education programs, with responses by evaluation experts, are presented: (1) "Teacher Education's Evaluation of Graduates: Where Are We Going and How Do We Know When We Get There?" (J. T. Sandefur); (2) "Requirements of a Data Base for Effective Program Evaluation"…

An exchange program between the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) and the University of New Mexico (UNM) provided 12 interns to the APS in exchange for 7 outstanding classroom teachers to serve as clinical supervisors in the undergraduate program at UNM for a period of one academic year. The interns worked with the joint support and supervision of…

This paper presents a comprehensive review of international research on the problems of beginning teachers facing "reality shock" in their first years of teaching. A discussion is given on the question of how teacher educators could anticipate the problems their students will encounter when they enter the profession. Particular focus is on…

This report of the Task Force on Teacher Education in Missouri focuses on producing a high-quality cadre of teachers. The report is organized around three themes: (1) supply and demand of teachers, teacher recruitment, and selective admission; (2) appropriate preservice preparation of teachers with academically rigorous teacher education programs;…

Focusing on the shortage of minority group teachers, the first section of this book discusses global issues related to the teacher shortage. It is pointed out that a great imbalance exists between multicultural school populations and racially homogeneous teaching staffs. Some specific solutions and suggested reforms are made for increasing the…

A study undertaken by the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan, sought to determine beginning teachers' perceptions of their own abilities in 15 teaching skills and strategies and the degree of importance of various components of the teacher education program in developing these skills. Forty-three questionnaires were…

A discussion of ethical standards for the employment of international graduate students as teaching assistants (ITAs) in higher education institutions outlines 10 basic ITA rights and highlights how these rights protect the ITA population. ITAs have, or should have, the right to: (1) maintain their own languages and cultures and, consequently, to…

This report discusses the Quality Assurance Program at the OSU/WOSC School of Education, a merged school serving Oregon State University and Western Oregon State College. This major reform in teacher education is designed to bring a high level of accountability to teacher education and is called a "Warranty of First-Year Teachers." If,…

A traveling seminar and support program offered to beginning vocational education teachers by the University of Wyoming's Department of Vocational Education was successful in combating rural isolation and the absence of inservice training opportunities. Teachers shared problems and observed new instructional techniques during weekend meetings held…

A study was conducted to determine the perceived difficulties first year physical education teachers encounter and how their perceptions compare to those of teachers in other curricular areas. A questionnaire, sent to 110 first year physical education teachers in Illinois, achieved a return rate of 30 percent. The questionnaire sought information…

A study identified and verified the professional education competencies needed and presently held by beginning teachers of vocational agriculture in Tennessee. To obtain these data researchers designed a survey instrument that listed 99 competencies under the following areas: program planning, development, and evaluation; planning of instruction;…

Eight papers presented at an international symposium on teacher education research are featured in this document. Excerpts from the opening speech by Erkki A. Niskanen, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Helsinki, outline research projects being carried out by teacher educators at the university. A paper by Yrjo Engestrom,…

Eight priority recommendations are outlined for attracting and preparing teachers, developing the new teachers, improving the teaching climate, and rewarding effective teaching. Consideration is given to issues related to effective teaching within the framework of seven areas: (l) early student interest; (2) entry into teacher education; (3)…

We examine the role of culture--anthropology's essential concept--in teaching and learning. After providing a brief overview of the application of anthropology to research on teaching and learning, we examine various studies that demonstrate how culture can be understood and used as a resource for teaching and learning. In particular, we focus on…