Teacher preparation programs are increasingly expected to use data on preservice teacher (PST) skills to drive program improvement and provide targeted supports. Observational ratings are especially vital, but also prone to measurement issues. Scores may be influenced by factors unrelated to PSTs' instructional skills, including rater standards.…

The clinical teaching experience is one of the most important components of teacher preparation. Prior observational research has found that more effective mentors and schools with better professional climates are associated with better preparation for teacher candidates. We test these findings using an experimental assignment of teacher…

This research explored the experiences of nine preservice teacher candidates of Spanish in world language teacher education programs at two higher education institutions implementing the Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) as Student Teachers (ST), as well as perceptions of seven Cooperating Teachers (CTs) and the University Field Supervisor.…

Growing evidence suggests that preservice candidates receive better coaching and are more instructionally effective when they are mentored by more instructionally effective cooperating teachers (CTs). Yet teacher education program leaders indicate it can be difficult to recruit instructionally effective teachers to serve as CTs, in part because…

Growing evidence suggests that preservice candidates receive better coaching and are more instructionally effective when they are mentored by more instructionally effective cooperating teachers (CTs). Yet, teacher education program leaders indicate it can be difficult to recruit instructionally effective teachers to serve as CTs, in part because…

Growing evidence suggests that preservice candidates receive better coaching and are more instructionally effective when they are mentored by more instructionally effective cooperating teachers (CTs). Yet, teacher education program leaders indicate it can be difficult to recruit instructionally effective teachers to serve as CTs, in part because…

In this study, we closely followed two teacher candidates (Scott and Dan) and their mentors through their student-teaching residencies using the following two questions to guide our investigation: (1) what did teaching look like in Scott's and Dan's classrooms? and (2) how did key student-teaching residency structures and forces enable and…

Teacher education has long been troubled by the problem of reconciling what happens in course work with how that learning is taken up in practicum experiences. Our faculty asks co-operating teachers to account for interns' professional growth by the extent to which the interns meet the requirements of the Internship Placement Profile (IPP). The…

Evidence and use of standards have become buzz words in teacher education. In order to satisfy the policy requirements, meet accreditation standards, and respond to the critics of traditional routes of teacher preparation, teacher educators are attempting to balance their program philosophy with state and national standards in designing their…

Purpose: A burgeoning literature investigates the importance of student teaching placements for teacher candidate development, but an important perspective that is largely missing from the existing literature is that of the school districts that host student teachers. In this paper, we describe the student teaching process from the perspective of…

Video recordings for student teaching field experiences have been utilized with student teachers (also known as teacher candidates) to (a) capture the demonstration of their lesson plans, (b) critique their abilities within the performance, and (c) share and rate experiences for internal and external evaluations by the state and other…

In this study, the focus is on five Associate Teachers' remembered experiences of working with early childhood Student Teachers nearing graduation who were at risk of failing practicum. Using Rogoff's overlapping 'planes of analysis', the subjective experiences of the Associate Teachers are analysed, bringing into focus the personal, interpersonal…

With an increased focus on field-based preparation, the relationship between P12 school districts and universities has been forced to change with little or no support to create effective third space environments. The complexity of the student teaching experience is compounded by the need for redefined roles, the lack of a common lexicon and the…

This article develops criteria for the selection, professional development, and assessment of cooperating teachers through four "notions." These notions suggest that cooperating teachers might (1) possess knowledge of educational theory and practice; (2) understand the importance of context in education; (3) understand narrative's role…

The author reflects on challenges faced by teacher educators when Kentucky's Educational Professional Standards Board mandated a new Co-Teaching model for all of the state's student teachers in 2013. This article analyzes the overwhelmingly positive responses of cooperating teachers and the experiences of teacher candidates (student teachers) with…