A rural Maine school system interviewed 10 administrators and 26 special-education teachers, technicians, and related service personnel as part of an analysis of its special-education services. Findings indicated a lack of a clear mission, limited administrative supervision, inconsistent prereferral procedures, increasing numbers of…

Three broad challenges to Thailand's educational system (participation, effectiveness, and resources) have deep, far- reaching consequences for the teaching profession. Major problems include teacher shortages in critical areas; low salaries; and recruitment, qualification, and professional-development inadequacies. Teacher/leadership programs are…

The California Education Round Table has been the principal organizing entity for much of the collaboration between precollegiate and postsecondary education systems in the state. A cornerstone of this system, the California Subject Matter Projects, a K-18 entity, provides discipline-specific, standards-based professional development for teachers.…

Reports on part of a project aimed at creating tools for training teachers in the diagnostic and adaptation process of Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) systems for disabled children. Based on evaluation results the long-term objective is to add tutorial and coaching features to the system to be used in special-education training…

A survey was conducted of 859 school psychologists who had used bilingual psychoeducational assessment in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The study found that over half had used interpreters, but only 37% of the interpreters had received formal training in the interpretation process. The need for recruiting and…

This article describes the successful implementation of a technology portfolio process to evaluate the success of teacher candidates in fulfilling International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)/National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) guidelines. It suggests activities to include in such a portfolio. (IAH)

A survey of 188 graduate students in 28 German programs investigated students' perceptions of their own professional development for teaching or work in business or government. It examined career goals, the importance of and participation in professional development activities, relationship with advisor/mentor on professional development issues,…

Highlights importance of computer literacy for child care administrators. Identifies common uses of computers by administrators, and lists Internet Web sites addressing child advocacy, child care organizations, government agencies, health and safety, and parenting. Notes six on-line training, continuing education, and professional development…

In this study, we seek a better understanding of how individuals and their daily interactions shape and reshape social structures that constitute a classroom community. Moreover, we provide insight into how discourse and classroom interactions shape the nature of a learning community, as well as which aspects of the classroom culture may be…

The current discourse in teacher preparation emphasizes the critical need for teachers to work in multicultural settings. The unique challenges inherent in preparing teachers at a predominantly White institution to teach in diverse classrooms include the critical examination of teacher candidates' White privilege, instructor readiness, and access…

Professional Development Schools (PDS) have become a widely used vehicle for the educational and professional development of both preservice and in-service teachers. Three key stakeholders are generally identified in the research about PDS--preservice teachers, experienced teachers, and K-12 students. The purpose of this research was to examine…

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…

TESL is a field in the process of professionalization. As TESL organizations in Canada struggle to gain professional stature for the field, market demands for ESL teachers in Canada and around the world increase exponentially. This creates a dilemma; whereas professionalization require making the field more difficult to access without specialized…

This article reports on teaching information and communication technology (ICT) as a subject. It arises out of research carried out with ICT trainee teachers during their initial training and their first years of teaching. The backgrounds of four cohorts of new ICT teachers are described along with levels of retention in teaching. The associations…

This article describes how workshop sessions have attempted to help teachers from one curriculum area develop their diagnostic skills to use in assessment for learning. The approach uses the metaphor of the teacher-as-learning-doctor to encourage teachers to think about the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of learning "bugs". The…