The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive account of one pathway for preparing high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teachers for work in high-need urban schools. In this account, we discuss the supports that STEM majors need in learning how to think about the content that they know well, through an…

This study details the creation of a four-tiered format designed to help preservice teachers write differentiated lesson plans. A short history of lesson plan differentiation models is described and how the four-tier approach was developed through collaboration with classroom teachers and university faculty. The unifying element for the format…

The purpose of this project was to investigate stakeholders' perspectives on coursework and the role of mentors within a unique teacher education program for prospective teachers of mathematics in an alternative-route-to-licensure program. The alternative route reflects a partnership between an institution of higher education, a state office of…

Cooperating teachers (n = 684) from 40 accredited programs rated the adequacy of their student teachers' competence and some features of the institution's student-teaching program. Their ratings were at the high end of a 5-point scale (4.0+) and showed that the teachers said that both their students and the program were more than…

The goal of this 4-year study was to investigate the implementation of a secondary science professional development school at a midsized, publicly funded 4-year institution with a large college of education. The study focuses on the preparation of secondary science teachers because improving STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)…

This qualitative study illuminates the challenge of preparing teacher candidates to engage critically about social justice issues in their planning and instruction in a yearlong teacher education credential program in a northern California university. Using co-narrative to describe the study in tandem with thematic analyses of candidates'…

The purpose of this study was to assess early childhood preservice teachers' caring dispositions. In this pilot project, 35 preservice teachers were involved. They spent 30 hours in the field. The tool for assessment--Caring Teachers' Components and Characteristics--was developed on the basis of the theory of caring per Noddings (1992) and…

The current shortage of teachers, owing primarily to retention and the shortfall in the field of special education, presents serious staffing concerns for serving children with special needs. Beyond supply considerations, teacher preparation programs are an integral part of the solution. Deci, Koestner, and Ryan (1999) described the role of…

This study explored how interaction between student teachers and supervisors create professional development opportunities during practicum. Often, student teachers are considered as the "apprentices" and their supervising teachers are the "masters." Is it really true? Do prospective teachers learn everything from their supervising teachers? Or is…

This article describes and evaluates the pairing of 2 preservice teachers to 1 mentor for early fieldwork. Traditionally, many programs have been reluctant to assign more than 1 student to a mentor. This study describes how the pairing is implemented; it addresses practical considerations; and it evaluates the innovation. Feedback gathered from…

Describes a juried process designed more accurately to assess student teacher performance, noting the degree to which success ratings correlated with students' grades, test scores, and ratings. Transcribed interviews with cooperating teachers were rated by jury members. Two strengths in using a juried approach to performance evaluation were…

Teacher candidates rated their self-perceptions of performance on the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium principles at the beginning and end of their 16-week student teaching semester to determine whether there was any significant difference between pre- and post-student-teaching self-ratings. Findings indicate that…

As preservice teachers anticipate student teaching, they often experience excitement, for they realize they will soon be finished with their course work and out in a school all day, every day, for a semester. This excitement may be mixed with anxiety, however, especially if they have just completed an intensive field experience where they have…