Out-of-field teaching is a relatively unrecognized problem in schools. This digest reviews what research shows about the extent and causes of the problem. There is much disagreement about how much and which types of education and training teachers should receive and what credentialing requirements states should have. Analysts have used various…

The emphasis in community colleges on teaching as a primary faculty responsibility has frequently caused classroom teaching to be divorced from scholarship. Although the teaching role is not a necessary condition for successful scholarship, some form of scholarship appears to be a necessary condition for successful teaching over an extended period…

This Critical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on approaches to recruitment and retention of faculty from underrepresented groups as part of the creation of a multicultural college environment. The 31 annotated citations, all of which are in the ERIC database, are grouped into: (1) Overall Strategies; (2) Faculty; and (3) Student. (SLD)

Approaches to develop a new understanding of academic careers are discussed. For many faculty members, a key issue is how to adjust their understanding of an ideal career to contemporary reality. During the 1970s, almost all of the professoriate saw its standard of living decline, a decline that stabilized by the early 1980s. Job mobility is…

The year-round calendar is an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional 9-month school calendar. This digest examines the benefits and challenges of teaching in year-round schools. Year-round schools may be on a single-track or multi-track schedule. Single-track schedules call for an instructional year of 180 days with short breaks…

Many of the characteristics typically associated with an occupation that is considered a profession are not commonly associated with teaching. These characteristics include: a clearly defined, codified, and accessible knowledge base; a structured, coherent induction experience monitored by oustanding practitioners; control of training,…

This digest reviews alternative certification on the basis of educational quality and the need to fill teacher shortages. Following a definition of traditional certification, the alternative certification route is described as a process designed to certify candidates who have subject-matter competencies, without going through formal teacher…

The articles in this monograph provide a framework for reflecting on a variety of educational issues. In section one the historical roots of teacher education are examined. The second section deals more directly with what a teacher is and how the definitional properties of "the teacher" begin to dictate a curriculum for teacher…

This digest summarizes the findings of a study commissioned by the Council for Exceptional Children to identify the variables that affect a special education teacher's ability to succeed and desire to continue in the field. Themes that positively influence the conditions teachers work in were identified including a sense of collegiality and…

Intended for administrators and policy makers as well as teachers, this digest presents a selection of reactions to "A Nation at Risk," the report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. The five parts of the digest discuss the five major recommendations of the ccmmission's report concerning curriculum, standards and…

This digest reviews available data on Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) to assess their presence in the teaching profession. Although they are a rapidly expanding part of both the population and school enrollments, APIs constitute only one percent of all teachers, and are largely absent from teacher preparation programs, with their mean…

This two-page information review draws similarities between the work of teachers and executives, cites some of the research analyzing the role of teachers as decision makers, and argues the importance of teachers developing, in their minds and in the mind of the public, an image of teachers as executives. Nineteen references are listed. (JD)

Describing the physical, social, psychological, and human context of middle and secondary schools, this book is designed to help new teachers negotiate the environment of the schools in which they find themselves. The book is intended for first-year or second-year teachers, education majors in their final year of preparation, "second…

Increased public interest in education is attracting students and career-changers to the teaching profession. This ERIC Digest is organized into questions and answers dealing with teacher preparation: (1) What do teachers do? (2) What are working conditions like? (3) What academic preparation is needed; (4) Do I take courses after I receive my…

This digest, addressed to prospective teachers, consists of questions and answers that provide information on such topics as teachers' responsibilities, how to become a teacher, teacher supply and demand, salaries, and working conditions. References are included. (JD)