The 10 issues of IDRA Newsletter published in 2001 focus on education in Texas and on national and statewide educational issues concerning minority, low-income, or bilingual students. Feature articles are: "Challenges and Strategies for Principals of Low-Performing Schools" (Abelardo Villarreal); "Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program in…

This report discusses progress in achieving goals, general program effectiveness, and progress toward institutionalization of the Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP) at Indiana University Northwest. This program has two major goals: (1) to change what the urban teacher knows and is able to do and (2) to significantly affect the education of…

This report discusses the outcomes of a New Jersey program designed to implement a responsible model for including students with disabilities into general education sixth, seventh, and eight grade classrooms. A major element of the "Toward Inclusive Education" (TIE) project included an intensive 2-week inservice program provided during…

One of the goals of Professional Development School (PDS) programs is to provide preservice teachers with opportunities for developing in-depth knowledge and experience as they learn to teach (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, 2001). A theme-based PDS adds value to the PDS program model because it allows faculty members to…

This paper reports on a small-scale case study of five newly qualified teachers in one school. The aim of the study was to identify the context and learning factors that enable and constrain the professional growth of new teachers, and to locate the place of formal induction arrangements within the broader experiences of the first year in…

This article describes a number of internal organizational initiatives within an urban teacher education program designed to foster inclusive, responsive practices by newly licensed general and special education teacher candidates. After implementing a merged preparation program for both special and general educators, we captured faculty and…

The press for the professionalization of teachers is based on the assertion that a strengthened profession will more effectively meet students' needs and improve the overall quality of education. This volume, the third in a series of three, explains the research and design of a study that examined the design, implementation, and impact of systemic…

This report describes the activities and accomplishments of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's (SEDL) Multifunctional Resource Center (MRC) during 1993-94. The mission of the MRC, under contract with the United States Department of Education, is to provide training and technical assistance to educators and parents of limited…

Career and technical education (CTE) administrators are increasingly being forced to resort to filling CTE teacher positions by hiring industry experts for classroom teaching positions and subsequently using creative ways to develop qualified, certified, and exemplary CTE instructors. Traditional teacher mentoring and induction programs fail to…

The Transportation Engineering Education and Outreach Program was organized to develop and disseminate educational and outreach materials that would encourage students in colleges, universities, and technical schools to select transportation as a career path and to attract more students into transportation graduate programs. The research…

This report summarizes evaluation information for the AISD Optional Extended Year grant program for the 2004-2005 school year.

Examined the preparation of student teachers at four Professional Development Schools (PDSs) longitudinally, comparing their experiences with those of traditional student teachers. Data from meetings with administrators; site visits; document analysis; graduation and professional status information; student teacher surveys; and graduate surveys…

The "Building Bridges" Leadership/Mentor Project developed a model leadership intern experience with emphasis on minority group involvement. It had four goals: to foster an environment in which cultural diversity was understood and valued; to increase work force participation of minority groups; to provide opportunities for leadership…

During the 1994-95 academic year, faculty and administrators in the College of Education at Illinois State University (ISU) (Normal, Illinois) along with teachers and administrators from the Community Consolidated School District 21 (Wheeling, Illinois) began discussions to establish a Professional Development School (PDS). In August 1995, 32 ISU…

This report describes the activities and accomplishments of second year off its current contract with the U.S. second year of its current contract with the United States Department of Education. The mission of the MRC is to provide training and technical assistance to educators and parents of limited English Proficient (LEP) students, with the…