The Coalition of Teacher Education Programs (COTEP) is a voluntary group of six Indiana universities: Ball State, Indiana State, Indiana University, Purdue, and the University of Evansville. This report from COTEP summarizes the recommendations made in nine commissioned papers on improving the education of teachers. These papers focused on topics…

On November 5, 1985, the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) adopted a uniform set of high school subject requirements for admission to public university baccalaureate degree programs and to public community college associate in arts (AA) and associate in science (AS) degree programs. The specific high school subjects required for admission…

Offered to groups that wish to review and improve educational programs, this booklet reprints by special permission the "Standards for Basic Skills Writing Programs" developed by the National Council of Teachers of English and "Standards for an Effective Oral Communication Program" prepared by the American…

In an effort to redesign an undergraduate teacher preparation program at the University of Maine (Orono), field research was conducted gathering attitudes and opinions from educators, students, and special interest groups (e.g., State Board of Education, State Teacher's Association). Data were gathered from questionnaires, group sessions, and…

The purpose of this document, which presents suggestions for needed changes in teacher education, is to provide guidance in the development of improved teacher education programs. Elements outlined in the document include: (1) the major functions of teaching (facilitating learning, classroom management, professional decision making); (2) learning,…

Using the data from the High School and Beyond Transcript Survey for 1980 sophomores who graduated from high school by fall 1982, the course grade distributions are compared for the following major instruction program categories: English, mathematics, social sciences, physical sciences, life sciences, and foreign languages (academic courses);…

The history of the gradual redesigning of teacher education in Ohio from the first certification law for teachers in 1825 to the present is outlined. Descriptions of the rationale and processes of changes are presented in the following sequence: (1) reforms of the past; (2) two critical decades in redesigning teacher education; (3) funding for…

Perspectives on college preparation and the transition from secondary to postsecondary education are addressed in a 1982 public hearing. Two main goals are articulated: to improve the quality of secondary school curricula, and to ensure access to or equality of educational opportunities for college for minority and majority students. An overview…

An eight-step organizational approach to the problem of identifying, remediating, and, if necessary, dismissing incompetent teachers is described. Addressed to school superintendents, the eight steps are as follows: (1) establish "excellence in teaching" as a high priority for the district, (2) adopt and publish reasonable criteria for evaluating…

Reasons to de-emphasize testing as a means of assessing teacher quality are offered in this paper. The following questions pertinent to teacher testing are asked: (1) Granted that teacher education is now attracting low caliber students, can the testing movement reverse the trend? (2) Is it justifiable to determine, and even predict, the quality…

Ten recommendations on outcomes assessment primarily for undergraduate education are offered by the Program and Institutional Assessment Task Force of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO). The recommendations include: degree-granting institutions should assess entering students to determine whether they are prepared to take…

Certain Japanese educational practices serving as worthwhile examples to the United States' educational system are highlighted in this overview of Japanese education. However, it is stressed that because the United States and the Japanese educational systems are dependent upon their social context and exist in a symbiotic relationship within that…

A questionnaire was developed to determine the understanding and response of student teaching field experience directors to the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) student teaching requirement. NCATE-approved schools in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska were surveyed. The NCATE requirement…

The Ohio State University School of Education has developed a plan and established a data base to provide information to respond to anticipated accreditation visits. A format was designed to determine the breadth and depth of all standards by comparing and contrasting National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards with…

This report presents the findings of a survey of a nationally representative sample of school districts on high school academic requirements and achievement. A survey questionnaire was sent to 571 school districts and a 93 percent response rate was obtained. Information was gathered on the following topics: (1) time spent in school; (2) credits…