This research project focused on understanding the experiences of Texas elementary school principals in relation to teacher non-renewal policies, ethical dilemmas, and district support. Three key research questions were addressed: 1. How do elementary principals in Texas experience the application of Texas teacher non-renewal policies and…

We draw on rich longitudinal data from one of the largest teacher education programs in Texas to examine the properties of rubric-based observational evaluations of preservice teachers (PSTs) during clinical teaching. Using a variance decomposition approach, we find that little of the variation in observation scores is attributable to actual…

A comparison of population and employment projections shows the gap between teacher supply and demand growing through 2025. Alternative certification programs (ACPs) were created to increase teacher production, but research on who selects ACPs versus traditional preparation programs (TPPs) shows mixed results as does research on new teacher…

Search theory suggests that early career job changes on balance lead to better matches that benefit both workers and firms, but this may not hold in teacher labor markets characterized by salary rigidities, barriers to entry, and substantial differences in working conditions that are difficult for institutions to alter. Of particular concern to…

This case involves a struggle for control among differently situated leaders--district- and building-level administrators, teachers, parents and community members, and university partners--seeking to influence the reform agenda of a high-poverty urban elementary school serving Latina/Latino students. The various stakeholders encounter a variety of…

There is broad agreement that teacher quality is related to student achievement, but there is far less agreement about the degree to which school districts and administrators are constrained in making policies to improve teacher quality that might also affect teacher employment and working conditions. Conventional wisdom holds that state law and…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which Career and Technical Education (CTE) enrollment and expenditure differed as a function of the accountability ratings of Texas public high schools. The extent to which CTE enrollment and expenditure influences accountability ratings is not clear. Accordingly, in this study, CTE…

Teacher compensation reforms have been on the rise in recent years, yet research has yet to fully demonstrate how teachers interpret these policies and how they may influence their instructional practices and professional decisions. This qualitative study of a performance pay program in an urban district in Texas drew on cognitive approaches to…

Tollowing a brief description of the purposes of tenure, the policy adopted by the College of the Mainland (Texas) in July 1967 was presented. The policy outlines: who is eligible to receive tenure, the rights of those who have received tenure, and the criteria and procedure used by the president for recommending tenure. (MB)

Most Texas foreign language teachers teach one or more additional fields. Spanish has the highest proportion of teachers assigned to a single field. Only 30 percent of French, German, and Latin teachers teach a single language. The author shows that there is considerable variety in teaching field combinations in a 1969-70 report. (SC)

The Term Contract Nonrenewal Act, passed by the Texas Legislature in August 1981, provides term contract teachers with the option of a due process hearing before nonrenewal. Specific aspects of this act, dealing with teacher evaluation, notice of nonrenewal, hearings, and decisions and appeals, are reveiwed. (CJ)

As interest in expanding the number of high quality charter schools available to parents and students has grown, policy makers have increased their focus on identifying and providing support to new charter programs that have the potential to improve student outcomes and satisfy parent and student needs. Since 1994, the U.S. Department of Education…

Employment shortfall is enumerated differently by the proportionality technique, the exogenous base technique, and the complete shift-share and simple shift-share technique, three methods of analyzing occupational convergence (when labor force group distributions become more similar over time). The methods are applied to 1950-70 teacher employment…

Alternative-certification programs for teachers are offered in 30 states and allow public-school districts to hire as provisional teachers people without traditional undergraduate degrees in education. The purpose is to expand and diversify the pool of teachers by giving midcareer professionals and minorities incentives to become teachers. (MLW)

Research reveals that teachers' working conditions are more likely to determine whether they stay at a school--or even in the profession--than are their salaries. Results suggest that policymakers ought to consider selective pay increases, preferably keyed to quality, for work in inner-city schools, together with efforts to improve the working…