The standards movement seeks to bridge the gap between universities and schools, smoothing the transition for student teachers from novice to professional. The imposition of standards and close monitoring of learning outcomes potentially violates the affective bond between student and teacher and the teacher's commitment to education. Resolving…

Would-be reformers often overlook the importance of collegial working relationships. Site administrators have little training in the human dynamics required to relate well to teachers while providing constructive feedback on their performance. Fear of repercussion thwarts the evaluation and improvement process. Constructive communication practices…

Examined a model of practicum supervision adopted at one university that involved intensive supervision by all faculty members. Data from observations, interviews, journals, and conversations found that the model strengthened the school-university partnership, enhanced the practicum and campus program, and helped faculty gain knowledge and…

Investigated student teachers' and university supervisors' views regarding difficult areas to discuss in conferences and how to tackle the problem. Students and supervisors had many similar perceptions. Difficult topics included possible failure, general attitude, and lack of presence, commitment, and enthusiasm. Solutions included identifying the…

This qualitative study examined the supervision of new professionals from the perspectives of new professionals and their supervisors. Analysis of interviews with four new professionals and their supervisors suggested the following: (a) supervisors supervised the way they wanted to be supervised, (b) new professionals had difficulty identifying…

Peer group supervision has had little attention in the research literature, although it is a common form of supervision utilised by psychologists in practice. The development and implementation of a structured peer supervision group (PSG) with nine trainee psychologists, within the training setting of university-based services, is described in…

Social work has evolved over the years taking on the challenges of the times. The profession now espouses a breadth of theoretical approaches and treatment modalities. We have developed a model to help graduate social work students master the skill of integrating theory and social work practice. The Integrative Model has five components: (l) The…

This paper is organized around a single interview with an academic colleague who was asked to reflect on his changing experience of Ph.D. supervision. Material from the interview is used to raise some questions about the nature of responsible supervision in the humanities and social sciences, and the ways in which the possibilities for responsible…

This article reports on a study of Illinois school board presidents' perspectives on teacher tenure. It begins with an historical overview of the development of teacher tenure from its roots in the 1880s civil service legislation through the establishment of teacher tenure in the United States to an examination of current teacher tenure laws and…

This is the 31st Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 2009. Section 664(d) of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA") (P.L. 108-446), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress…

This article grew out of a participatory research project conducted with support of the Robert Bowne Foundation from January 2003 through January 2004. Six young people who had been participants in Forest Hills Community House (FHCH) programs for eight years or longer agreed to be interviewed in depth about experiences that had affected their…

This article presents findings from a national study on doctoral education undertaken at a time of new government policies on funding of higher education and doctoral research in particular. The article discusses the overall policy developments in Australia and then examines the impact of policy on practice in doctoral education. Particular focus…

This book is designed to help policymakers, educators, and researchers develop a deeper understanding of the issues of school restructuring and to give greater conceptual clarity to the terms of the current debate. The chapters of the book contain forum papers that are organized into two main parts. Following chapter 1, "Introduction: On Changing…

Effective-schools research has determined that successful schools are invariably led by a principal who is recognized as an instructional leader. This paper synthesizes and attempts to clarify the most recent perspectives on instructional leadership. Data sources included professional educational journals, trade books on leadership, and…

This report, the third annual study of primary program implementation, outlines case study observations of learning groups and of teachers relations to groups. The learning atmosphere of a learning group is determined by presence of conducive or disruptive elements, input of children, and relation of the group to the teacher, in addition to good…