In examining current practices and issues in the accreditation of schools of education, this digest first lists the agencies responsible for accreditation--governmental, professional, and regional. A description is given of the accreditation process in California which includes four procedures that might be applied to any teacher education…

During a review of the Higher Education Act (HEA), concern about the quality of teacher education emerged. As a result, Congress created a new teacher quality section in HEA known as Title II, which established grant programs for partnerships between K-12 schools and institutions of higher education and for states to improve teacher quality. It…

The infusion of technology in schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDEs) may be placed along a continuum. At one end of the continuum, technology infusion is described as not being central to the teacher preparation experience. At the other end of the continuum, progress is represented by changing courses and changing thinking. This…

Little is known about "teacher educators," the higher education faculty responsible for teacher preparation. Reasons include the lack of a definition and consequent difficulty in identifying the population, scarcity of research on teacher educators specifically, and inclusion of teacher educators in research on the education…

This digest is drawn from "The Role of the Community College in Teacher Education" (New Directions for Community Colleges, Spring 2003). It examines trends in teacher education in the community colleges, including building partnerships and articulation agreements with baccalaureate-granting institutions, designing new associate degree…

To transform and revitalize education and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to instruct and prepare all American students for the next century, teacher education and professional development have been designated as one of the National Education Goals (added to the original six in 1994). The goal suggests that practicing teachers are key…

This digest consolidates recent, key information on minority representation in the teaching profession. Despite widespread efforts to recruit minority teachers, by 1983 the total had decreased 1.5% (down to 11% since 1973). Therefore, many students will go through their entire school career with no minority teachers, no role models, and no sense…

The 1989 Charlottesville Education Summit of the nation's governors resulted in the National Education Goals which describe six priorities (readiness for school; high school completion; student achievement; world leadership in science and math; adult literacy; and safe, disciplined, and drug free schools) for public schools to achieve by the year…

This digest provides an overview of a new institution, the professional development school (PDS), and of its place in improving public schooling. The PDS is the result of a collaboration between universities and local school districts. In recent years, the literature has suggested that public schools as they exist today cannot adequately prepare…

This digest examines the relationship between elementary and secondary teachers' use of computer-based technologies to deliver and support classroom instruction and the training provided to prospective teachers by teacher education institutions. It offers an overview of obstacles faced by teacher educators in providing appropriate technology…