Children's background experiences not only make them unique individuals, but also impact their interactions with texts because of their varied schema. Teachers who work with children should keep in mind Gregory Smith's (2002) five thematic patterns (cultural studies, nature studies, real world problem solving, internship and entrepreneurial…

This exploratory study investigates the impacts of industry-based externships for K-12 teachers, and reports teachers' perspectives on how these experiences influenced K-12 classroom practices. The program of focus in this research study is the Educators in Industry: K-12 Externship Program. For four weeks in the summer, teacher-participants are…

Administrator interns who are limited to "cast-off" duties will be seriously unprepared for their first administrative position. A meaningful internship experience should include responsibilities for supervision, specific projects, leadership, routine decision making and problem solving, and public speaking and public relations. School district…

This study examines the mentoring practices of a mentor teacher who was actively engaged in creating an inquiry-focused, year-long internship, noting the intern-mentor dyad's negotiation of a successful learning context as perceived by the intern, the mentor, and a university faculty member. Data collection involved both ethnographic and…

A 1984 partnership between Brigham Young University and five Utah school districts resulted in a new principal preparation program that integrates theory and practice and provides meaningful practice opportunities. The Leaders Preparation Program includes several NASSP-sponsored workshops allowing interns to experience, in a safe but challenging…

This summary of the development and implementation of the Study of Induction Programs for Beginning Teachers includes descriptions of the methods used to obtain data as well as recommendations and conclusions drawn from the study. Critical questions in the investigation were: (1) What are the problems of beginning teachers? (2) What kinds of…