All states have authorized alternatives to traditional teacher preparation programs, and many allow school districts to hire noncertified instructors. Broadening access to teaching has increased the number of available teachers, but the effects on student learning are debatable. This article discusses the research on certification and student…

Occupational and physical therapists and speech language pathologists provide services for almost half of the children enrolled in early intervention programs nationally. Each professional association has adopted documents defining practice in early intervention that advocate for family-centered practices and interventions embedded in family…

For the internal evaluator, the issue of trust can be one of the more difficult ethical matters to manage. An organization might choose to conduct an internal program evaluation for a variety of reasons, including capitalizing on the abilities of invested stakeholders to assess aspects of a program, building an institutional culture oriented…

This study applied generalizability theory to investigate the interrater reliability of a team-scored electronic portfolio required for initial teacher certification. The sample consisted of 31 preservice teacher portfolios which were assigned to three groups of portfolio review teams. The review teams, which had received several rounds of…

The new institutionalism predicts that professionalism is a key element of organizations' ability to be seen as legitimate. Emphasizing the professionalism and formal credentials of its members lends legitimacy to the organization, protecting it from scrutiny. What happens when this norm of professionalism is absent? How do schools legitimate…

This study describes the analysis of the social studies autobiographies of 46 students compiled over a 15 month period. Two major questions were addressed: (1) what motivational patterns are revealed in these autobiographies and (2) what differences and similarities exist in the autobiographies of students seeking alternative and traditional…

The abbreviation USE, which stands for the unified state examination, is known to most Russians these days. Many people think that it is something new, but it has a certain amount of history. The first attempts to adopt the American system of education in Russia were made by A. Lunacharskii as far back as the 1920s and 1930s. One of the main…

This paper analyzes changes to the definitions of "authorized users" contained in electronic resources licenses and embedded in access control technologies from the mid-1990s to the present. In analyzing changes to the license and technology-based definitions, it tracks shifts in major stakeholders' perceptions of authorized users and…

Special reading certification in the state of Missouri requires a candidate to complete coursework that involves two three hour practicum experiences. These experiences must entail working with students in kindergarten through grade 12. The practicum experiences are designed to provide significant instruction in the area of reading strategies for…

The credentials primarily awarded by community colleges--certificates and associate degrees--play a unique role in advancing college completion rates. Given the current economic climate and high unemployment rates, there exists a clear demand for, and focus on, quickly returning people to a changing work environment through education and training.…

More than twenty years of research have been devoted to the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process, much of it focused on the effects of National Board certified teachers (NBCTs) on student achievement. Less attention has been paid to the effects of the process on teachers' skills and practices, while…

In 2008, the United States' Institute for Museum and Library Services funded Project Leadership-in-Action (LIA) that included surveys of the technology integration practices of teacher librarian leaders with National Board Certification. Preliminary 2009 survey results suggested that the 295 respondents worked in well-resourced libraries with…

Out-of-field teaching is a national occurrence that has not had extensive examination in relation to teacher retention and attrition. Using a nationally representative sample of secondary public school teachers, (N =770) taken from the 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the 2004-2005 Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) datasets, the…

The shortage of special education teachers is critical. One means used to increase the supply of available teachers is to issue an emergency license to teachers not fully certified in special education. This is a phenomenological study of four general education teachers practicing special education using an emergency license. Their experience is…

Inclusion has altered the teaching and learning environment in many ways. General education teachers face increasing challenges as their role becomes more complex to meet the demands of teaching both general and special education students in the same classroom. Teachers are pivotal in the success of inclusion and exploring how teachers feel about…