The Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs (CAEP) has established five standards to measure the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs. Clinical partnerships and practice represent "Standard 2." The CAEP requires that teacher education programs design high quality clinical practice that is central to preparation…

This study examined public school partners' expectations of teacher candidates and beginning teachers and the qualities that principals consider most important when hiring new teachers. Teachers in Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia (N = 130) responded to 37 Likert-style survey questions based upon the 100 school principals' interview questions…

Assessing the dispositions of pre-service teachers who are in field internship experiences has been gaining attention by those persons responsible for the education and training of pre-service teachers. Disposition indicators have already been validated by researchers so that now raters know what to rate. There is an amorphous quality to the…

There are eight components that Teacher Candidates the University of Nebraska at Kearney, College of Education, must demonstrate their understanding of and proficiency in, to complete their student teaching successfully. Are this components relative when the Teacher Candidate interviews for his/her first teaching position; and if so, to what…

Physical education teacher education (PETE) students are given opportunities in "early field experiences" (EFEs) to observe and assist experienced teachers in schools. Typically, students are then required to do some autonomous teaching, to give them practical experience in the real world of local schools. Ultimately students will move on to…

The student teacher being supervised in the public school soon becomes a full time, licensed teacher. Student teaching is perceived to be the cap stone or final course in undergraduate preparation before entering the profession of being a teacher. It carries much responsibility for the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor in assisting…

Creating the most effective and well-educated teachers possible has been always the clear focus of the Teacher Education Department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). During the academic year of 1999-2000, a tripartite task force was created for the College of Education at UNK to identify areas in need of revision or elimination from…

The student teaching practicum is the capstone event of a new teacher's sequence of formal education and shapes the beginnings of one's foray into to the teaching profession. Vital to that experience is the influence of the cooperating teacher. This study sought a better understanding of that influence, particularly the various aspects of…

The activity of working with a preservice teacher during an internship is a complex and intensive one representing a huge investment on the part of mentor teachers. Given this, it is not surprising that the effects on mentor teachers when their preservice teachers struggle or fail would be complex. We began to question how preservice teacher…

The authors conducted a study to determine the major area of difficulties as perceived by student teachers in student teaching programs. (Author/RK)

Student teachers in a teacher center program and in a standard program constructed useful learning materials; a significantly greater number of the former group voluntarily supplied their cooperating teachers with copies of these materials. There was greater benefit to supervising teachers who received learning materials from the teacher center…

Analysis of a study conducted at the University of Houston in 1968-1969 to identify the role expectations of cooperating teachers involved in the laboratory phase of the teacher education program. (Author/RY)

Research supports teacher preparation programs to recognize stress factors and to assist students and new teachers with effective coping mechanisms. Twenty-five to fifty percent of beginning teachers resign during their first three years of teaching (Fleener, 2001; Roulston, Legette, & Womack, 2005). Among all the causes, stress from teaching is…