"Mister, what time is it?" is an account of the evolution of a traditional teacher education program into an alternative certification program in the Arizona borderlands, outlining the theoretical frameworks that shaped the program redesign, program design elements, and challenges encountered along the way. We found many of the perennial…

In a teacher residency, candidates receive almost all of their training in their future job site: They spend at least a year in a pre-k through 12 classroom under the guidance of a highly effective mentor teacher. This on-the-job experience is complemented by coursework that is tightly linked to and builds upon their experiences in the classroom.…

Worldwide, teacher shortages have created a demand for certified teachers. Throughout the world, local and national governments are seeking ways to resolve this issue. New York City (NYC), the largest public (i.e. state funded) school district in the United States, addressed the teacher shortage by creating an alternate route to certification…

With the proliferation of alternative route (AR) special education teacher preparation programs, many teacher educators are likely to be involved in AR program design and implementation. Unfortunately, few resources have focused on best practices for program developers to prepare the nontraditional participants who typically populate their…

This study explores the impact of an alternative teacher preparation program development from the "inside out" or through the voices of second career teachers, known as "Career Switchers," at a mid-size state university. The major objective of this study was to probe into their perceptions to inform program development with reporting framed in…

This booklet sets forth the position of the National Education Association on nontraditional routes to teacher licensure. The value of alternative preparation programs is acknowledged, provided that they prepare individuals to meet the same standards for entry to the profession applicable to all other candidates. Two distinctions are made: (1) a…

The Tarleton Model for Accelerated Teacher Education (TMATE) is a collaborative teacher education program between Tarleton State University and public school districts in Texas. The program was designed to expedite the certification of persons already holding a bachelor's degree. Summer school at the university--including 3 weeks of teaching in…

The Teacher Education and Mentoring Program (TEAM) allows intern teachers who have not completed the required teacher education courses prior to employment as regular classroom teachers to have the support of master teachers, or mentors, while teaching with provisional certification. The internship is a closely supervised practicum with each…

Colorado's Alternative Teacher Program, mandated by the State in 1991, enables persons with bachelors' degrees to enter approved alternative teacher certification programs developed by school districts, boards of cooperative services, independent schools, and institutions of higher education. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) issues a…

This report describes the Colorado Alternative Teacher Program, mandated by the state, that enables individuals with bachelor's degrees to enter approved alternative teacher certification programs developed by school districts, boards of cooperative services, independent schools, and institutions of higher education. The Colorado Department of…