This paper describes aspects of a program at Sammons Elementary School (Houston, Texas) designed to create a learning community that includes preservice teacher education students, practicing teachers, university faculty, and Sammons students and parents. The school has been designated as an Urban Professional Development Site for the Sam Houston…

This paper reports the results of observation skills training via an interactive multimedia training program for preservice teachers at Lincoln University (Missouri). The training program provides multiple videos for users to practice six types of observation methodologies, comparisons to "expert" data, and on-line access to procedural…

This study investigated instructional practices in a literacy methods course in a teacher education program that was developing a reflective and integrated approach to university courses and school experiences. Along with coursework, students plan and teach lessons for children in a partnership school in which teachers have begun the process of…

Social studies education in the United States has been viewed by many as a forum in which to socialize new citizens, to ensure that people of differing backgrounds have a history and ideals that they can share. Social studies also is perceived by some as a vehicle through which students can learn the value of conflict and difference, in the…

This study reports an investigation of the effects of gender, age, and racial and ethnicity on the attitudes of mathematics teachers towards computer use. The participants of the study were mathematics teachers working in a wide range of New York public schools (n = 50). A Confidence with Computers in Mathematics Teachers (CCMT) rating scale was…

This paper examines the use of video-based contexts in a mathematics methods course for preservice elementary teachers. The effect of using video examples and analyses in methods courses and associated practicums on preservice teachers' field performance, preservice teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, and preservice teachers' decisions about…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 22 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the role of the paraprofessional in the high school classroom; (2) the effectiveness of a staff development program in reading; (3) perceived characteristics…

In the 1980s, the passage of two laws--Chapter 75 of the Texas Education Code (providing for a well-balanced curriculum) and Texas Senate bill 50 (mandating teacher testing prior to certification)--has led to many changes in elementary and early childhood education as well as teacher education in Texas. In teacher education programs, course…

Recognizing that inexperienced teachers may differ substantially from experienced teachers in their perceptions of student control, a study examined both preteachers' and experienced teachers' strategy selections when confronted with student misbehavior scenarios that reflected particular situational determinants. Subjects, 522 prospective and…

Investigating programs and full-time personnel which provide special needs services at the postsecondary level in Minnesota Area Vocational-Technical Institutes (AVTIs), a study assessed variability in practitioner use of individual student diagnostic information and prescriptive services in individualized education program (IEP) development and…

This is a collection of reports on innovative practices in student teaching programs. The label "innovative" is justified on the basis of the investigation's scope. Identification of innovative student teaching practices was accomplished by contacting chief state school officers, chairmen and members of state commissions on teacher…

Thirteen teachers and a teacher educator describe a year-long graduate program for experienced teachers in which they learned from each other how to become better teachers. The program, which was situated at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, included an integrative seminar, three required courses, and two elective courses. This book is…

A survey of 300 secondary school English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers in Turkey investigated their views on ESL teaching and curriculum, language attitudes, language learning, classroom practices, role perceptions, and views of language teaching as a profession. Demographic data show most were trained in English language teaching in Turkish…

This book demonstrates that an indigenous teachers' group has the potential to transform the culture of schooling. Personal narratives by Yup'ik Eskimo teachers speak directly to issues of equity and school transformation. Their struggles represent the beginning of a slow process by a group of Yup'ik teachers (Ciulistet) and university colleagues…

Studies indicate that as many as 20 percent of teachers nationwide leave the profession after three years and close to 30 percent leave after five years. This research capsule examines the characteristics of teachers who move or leave and the types of schools they are most likely to leave. Findings on the impact of financial compensation on…