Research shows that there is a shortage of effective teachers in many rural and urban K-12 public schools serving the highest proportions of high-poverty students across the United States. In the past 10 years, alternative route teacher preparation programs aiming to address this shortage proliferated across the United States. These programs seek…

This report presents selected findings from the Public School District Data File of the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a nationally representative sample survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. School districts associated with public schools and library…

This report presents selected findings from the school district data file of the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a nationally representative sample survey of public, private, and Bureau of Indian Education-funded (BIE) K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The public school sample…

In the U.S.-affiliated Pacific, the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) are responsible for assisting State educational agencies (SEAs) in the development of planning and accountability systems to meet the requirements of the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" (NCLB) requirements and…

Many high school and two-year college vocational programs are exploring new ways to help students develop and document skills valued in the labor market. Over the past decade, some efforts to improve vocational programs have focused on reorganizing curricula around skill standards and assessments formulated by employers. One recent example of this…

This article summarizes national data on special education teacher characteristics. Data indicate that between 1990 and 1999 the special education teaching force grew by 11% and the students with disabilities population grew by 30%; 63% of special education teachers are licensed for their main assignment; and 86% are white. (Contains references.)…

In a replication of a 1977 study, questionnaires and directed telephone interviews were used to gather information about programs preparing vocational and special education personnel to work with special needs students. Comparison of 142 returned questionnaires with 1977 results revealed that the relative order of coursework concentrations had…

The relationship between good teaching and student achievement elevates the importance of teacher quality in the eyes of parents, educators, and policymakers. While some teachers may have a special gift to help students learn, good teaching encompasses critical elements, such as knowledge of the learning process, child development, teacher…

This summary examines public opinion research about teacher quality and strategies for improving U.S. teaching quality. Researchers examined surveys of teachers, school board members, principals, students, and the public. This review investigates: what constitutes quality teaching; how to define good teachers; the importance of teacher quality;…

A number of policy questions has emerged as a result of various efforts to improve special education and vocational education services to handicapped students at the secondary level through linkages among general education, special education, and vocational education. These questions reflect recent research findings which demonstrate that the…

Changes in the condition of teaching for the country as a whole and for each state are analyzed in the following areas: (1) general population shifts; (2) elementary and secondary school enrollments, public and private; (3) numbers of public school teachers; (4) public school finance and its relationship to overall economic conditions--personal…

This fifth annual Performance Report for Ohio's Colleges and Universities uses a variety of data and data sources to describe higher education in Ohio from students' academic preparation to learning environments, student progress, degree achievement, and licensure and employment outcomes. The report also provides a wealth of information about…