There is a paucity of research on what constitutes an ideal special education field experience, and it is not clear which components or activities within a field experience impact a teacher's growth to the greatest extent. Reviewing past research will assist in categorizing the components typically included in field experiences and may assist in…

The authors sketch the historical factors which led to the decline, in the 1970s, of graduate teacher internship programs as an alternative to traditional student teaching. They then discuss the positive features of internship programs, particularly the Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and the Teacher Corps models. (SJL)

An evaluation study assessed the effects of a one-year student teaching internship for juniors at the University of Southern Maine on student teachers' anxiety levels and their attitudes toward pupil control. Results were compared with those of a senior year, semester-long course in student teaching. (PP)

Pertinent questions are raised which challenge the appropriateness of the student teaching experience. Research studies have shown that many beginning teachers found great difference between the more protected experience of student teaching and the real world of the beginning teacher who takes on the full responsibilities of the classroom. Future…