Adichie asserts that "stories matter" because they help us to humanize and empower one another. Stories allow us to make sense of our experiences or the "lived stories" of our lives. This qualitative case study draws from a federally funded, multiyear mixed-methods study focusing on an alternative route to teaching program…

A quarter of special education teachers who have been trained through an alternative teacher preparation program have left assigned classrooms throughout the United States after 1 year, and almost half have left within 5 years. However, little is known regarding why special educators, alternatively prepared for the classroom, leave the classroom…

This study examined the perceptions of teacher candidates and site facilitators regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the ArPEP (formerly known as APPEL) teacher preparation program. The study also analyzed the rate for candidates who completed and passed the edTPA and also the rate for those taking and passing the Principles of Learning and…

In the United States, there exists a chronic shortage of qualified special education teachers to provide instructional services to students with disabilities. One policy solution developed to increase the number of qualified teachers is Alternative Routes (ARs), which are broadly defined as nontraditional and accelerated preparation paths to…

Teacher turnover is an issue not only in the state of Idaho but across the nation. This study examined the attrition outcomes of 6,572 beginning teachers in Idaho that were trained in one of four types of teacher preparation programs and started teaching between the 2014-15 and 2019- 20 school years. Teachers in the ABCTE preparation program were…

Co-teaching is recognized as a best practice that is increasingly being utilized to meet the needs of diverse learners in the classroom. All teachers need to be prepared to meet the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities. However, few teacher preparation programs lead to dual certification in general and special education,…

Academics, policymakers, and practitioners agree that there is a need to address barriers to entry into teaching in order to address teacher shortages and diversify the profession. Research finds that student outcomes are improved when students have teachers of the same race and/or ethnicity. However, as the K-12 student population grows more…

Due to the nature of alternative preparation paths to classroom teaching and the unique challenges these teachers face, alternative certified teacher quality and retention are questionable. The purpose of this study was to investigate school leaders' knowledge of the challenges of these teachers, the support provided in light of that knowledge,…

Teach For America (TFA), a prominent alternative teacher certification program, has evolved substantially since it began in 1989. However, most studies ignore this potential variation when evaluating TFA's effects on student outcomes. Using 12 years of administrative data, I test whether TFA's effects on achievement differ over time, focusing on a…

The Marian Promise combined residency and induction program supports the effectiveness and retention of new teachers in Indiana's Perry Township Schools, MSD of Decatur Township, and Beech Grove City Schools. It does so by integrating the use of research-based teaching standards in coursework and clinical practice, selecting high-quality mentor…

The purpose of this study was to examine dispositions of teacher candidates, explore differences in leadership aspirations between traditional and alternative certification groups, and develop an unbiased predictive model for identifying future education leaders. Literature suggests that dispositions can be assessed, taught, and developed, but…

This qualitative study examined the perceptions of secondary school administrators as to the preparedness of new teachers from different certification programs and how those perceptions guide the recruitment, hiring, and support of new teachers. After reviewing the history of teacher certification in the United States, and examining aspects of…

Teach For All (TFAll) is a global network dedicated to cultivating its unique brand of fast-track teacher training and policy reform. Launched in 2007, TFAll programs now exist in 60 countries--including Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda--and utilize particular discourses to recruit teachers, court donors, and support ongoing operations. Scant research…

Launched in 2014, Teach for Qatar (TFQ) is a local non-governmental organization under Teach For All (TFALL) that recruits and prepares graduates and professionals as teaching fellows in the Qatari government schools. This qualitative exploratory study used semi-structured interviews to identify TFQ Fellows' challenges they faced and the resources…

The purpose of this study was to examine the teacher self-efficacy of traditionally and alternatively-certified teachers and to determine if there is a perceived difference in levels of self-efficacy after the first-year of teaching in those teachers who completed a traditional certification program or an alternative certification program. The…