Reform-minded practices are widely encouraged during pre-service science teacher education in concert with national reform documents. This contrasts to the nature of instruction within university science laboratories in which pre-service teachers enrol, which are largely confirmatory in nature. Undergraduate science laboratories are taught…

This study compared the effectiveness of three teacher education programs in terms of their impact on teacher competencies. The programs include a traditional 4-year teacher certification program, an alternative certification-based master of arts in teaching program, and an alternative certification program without the master degree option. The…

A cost-effectiveness analysis of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) program suggests that Board certification is less cost-effective than a range of alternative approaches for raising student achievement, including comprehensive school reform, class size reduction, a 10% increase in per pupil expenditure, the use of…

The goal of this mixed methods study was to explore differences among teachers (n = 52 special education teachers, n = 195 general education teachers, and n = 30 gifted education teachers) on their perceptions of students with disabilities and their willingness to refer them to a gifted and talented program. In this follow-up to an earlier work,…

The expectation for schools to continually improve outcomes for students underscores the importance of tapping teacher leaders' contributions in school improvement and renewal efforts. As National Board (NB) certification has become a common feature of state and district policies to improve teaching and learning, it is worthwhile to explore how…

More so than ever before, policymakers and the public believe the fate of American public education rests with teachers. Over the last 15 years, study after study points to the powerful effects of qualified teachers and quality teaching on student achievement. However, poor children and those of color are still far less likely to be taught by good…

For over 30 years, educators have recommended that mathematics specialists be placed in schools to provide teachers with the resources they need to assist their students. To assess whether these recommendations have been realized, a survey was used to gather data from large school districts, the 50 states, and District of Columbia. The outcome of…

This study examines the relationship between certification examination test results and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) career success. The sample was drawn from the Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS). LEADS participants were matched with National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT)…

The education reform movement includes efforts to raise teacher quality through stricter certification and licensing provisions. Most US states now require public school teachers to pass a standardized test such as the Praxis. Although any barrier to entry is likely to raise wages in the affected occupation, the theoretical effects of such…

High stakes postgraduate specialist certification examinations have considerable implications for the future careers of examinees. Medical colleges and professional boards have a social and professional responsibility to ensure their fitness for purpose. To date there is a paucity of published data about the reliability of specialist certification…

In 2007, the Home School Legal Defense Association commissioned Dr. Brian D. Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute to conduct a nationwide study of homeschooling in America. The study's purpose was to develop a current picture of homeschool students and their families--capturing their demographics and educational background--and…

Recently, the long-standing, though relatively low key, debate surrounding certification requirements for career and technical instructors at the postsecondary level has been revived as a critical issue. These discussions have lead to extensive examination of: (1) current credential requirements for instructors; (2) recent changes to state and…

The process for recognising, validating and certifying (RVC) non-formally or informally acquired lifelong learning, launched in 2000, is now part of mainstream education and training policies in Portugal. This article aims to determine how much the labour-market behaviour of the RVC-certified unemployed differs from that of other unemployed…

Dialogue regarding the professional identity of professional counseling continues to increase and momentum continues to build around efforts to promote broader recognition of the counseling profession. This article outlines a template for action by which the profession may continue to move forward in its quest to be fully recognized as a viable…

The appropriate importation and effective utilization of superior-quality foreign higher education resources are crucial to enhance the level and quality of school administration cooperation with foreign partners because it can not only make up for the shortage in domestic education resources and push forward China's higher education reform but…