Empathy, defined as both emotional and cognitive perspective-taking, is considered to be an important teacher disposition; however, limited research exists on the implementation of empathy alongside the experiential teaching practicum within alternative route to licensure (ARL) programs. The purpose of this study is to examine ARL teacher…

This article traces the political, historical, and ideological roots of the Relay Graduate School of Education. Relay represents a more current iteration of alternative teacher preparation programs and emerged from the earlier partnerships between education schools and independent alternative programs (Mungal, 2012). These programs have become…

Schools across the United States are confronted with the critical demand for highly effective teachers to address the needs of the increasing numbers of diverse learners in their classrooms. In response, school systems are looking beyond the traditional four-year degree student to individuals who are entering the teaching field from other…

Teacher induction is defined as the transition from student to professional and involves the greatest need for supervision and support. Induction programs providing mentorship, curricular information, classroom support, and professional scaffolding have grown out of concerns related to accountability and attrition during the first years of…

Perhaps one of the most controversial topics in the field of teacher education today is what constitutes an effective preservice program for preparing individuals to instruct students in the twenty-first century. A discussion of the merits of the approaches to teacher certification has also been compounded by issues relating to legal mandates such…

Recruiting, preparing, and retaining high quality secondary mathematics and science teachers are three of the most critical problems in the nation's urban schools that serve a vast majority of children from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Although the factors contributing to these problems are complex, one area that has caught…

The combination of federal exigency for Highly Qualified Teachers in every classroom (No Child Left Behind, 2001) and focus on teacher accountability has created a plethora of routes to teacher certification and continuing education. This urgent situation has placed a burden on schools of education to approach teacher education in creative and…

Introduces a theme issue concerning the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and certification, presenting a brief history of the NBPTS and reviewing the collection of articles, which highlight such issues as moving toward a research agenda, social and cultural contexts of NBPTS certification, NBPTS certification and special…

Presents lessons learned by following M.A. candidates who were supported by California State University, Los Angeles, as they pursued National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification. Discusses the introduction of NBPTS certification to M.A. candidates, launching certification projects, and what NBPTS certification…

Examines the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards National Board Certification process, noting the legitimacy of this process for teachers of special needs students and concluding that while National Board Certification is beneficial to the teaching profession at large, for special education, it needs to be reconceptualized and…

Developing enough quality credentialed teachers to meet the needs of America's children is the paramount goal of teacher education programs and school districts across the country and, since 2001, required by the federal mandate, No Child Left Behind (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2002). However,…

Discusses four key areas that help define and focus teacher educators' move toward a comprehensive research agenda (program design, professional development, personnel, and P-16 student learning and achievement). Summarizes literature that supports findings relevant to P-12 education (professional development of candidates, leadership development…

Explored the experiences of local teachers of color exposed to the professional development opportunity of National Board Certification (NBC). Data from interviews with teachers and principals indicated that there were small numbers of local NBC teachers from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Among these teachers, barriers to NBC included lack of…

Makes a case for using the tenets of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in redesigning the Mathematics and English Subject Specialist Master's Programs at California State University, Northridge, by going through the constructed cohort program semester by semester, discussing coursework and portfolio activities, highlighting the…