Elementary and middle school students' perceptions of the learning environments in classes of traditionally and alternatively certified teachers were compared via an adaptation of the "My Class Inventory." Results indicate differences for several climate variables (e.g., cohesiveness and lack of friction) in favor of traditionally certified…

Developing enough quality credentialed teachers to meet the needs of America's children is the paramount goal of teacher education programs and school districts across the country and, since 2001, required by the federal mandate, No Child Left Behind (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2002). However,…

This article examines the disposition toward critical thinking of post-baccalaureate initial certification students at a Texas institution of higher education using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. The inventory characterizes seven subscales of critical thinking disposition and an eighth combined score for overall critical…

The purpose of the current study was to examine whether log-linear smoothing of observed score distributions in small samples results in more accurate differential item functioning (DIF) estimates under the simultaneous item bias test (SIBTEST) framework. Data from a teacher certification test were analyzed using White candidates in the reference…

This brochure provides a checklist of information for individuals considering massage therapy training in South Carolina. Areas covered include: (1) Oversight; (2) Requirements to Become a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT); (3) Evaluating a School; (4) How to Decide; (5) While You're Enrolled; (6) After You Graduate; (7) Continuing Education; (8)…

This article presents an interview with Marion Frances Kaleleonalani McGregor Lee Loy who served as a teacher in the Hawai'i Department of Education from 1935 to 1974. Marion McGregor Lee Loy was born in 1911 in Honolulu. She attended Central Grammar and Lincoln Grammar schools before entering Kamehameha School for Girls in the ninth grade. Lee…

Graduating with a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education (BPHE) degree with a specialty in Outdoor Adventure Leadership (ADVL) is a unique reality in Canada offered by Sudbury's Laurentian University. Developed over 20 years ago, the ADVL program has been one of Laurentian's six landmark Human Kinetics programs. From a scholastic perspective…

The study comparing National Board certified teachers (NBCTs) with their non-Board certified colleagues was conducted using four North Carolina school districts. In Phase I, descriptive results from the development of Teacher Achievement Indices using hierarchical linear modeling based on student achievement results are reported for 307 5th grade…

The 2004 statistics from the American Institute of Architects--the profession's leading membership association--indicate that just 7 percent of its licensed or registered members are underrepresented minorities. Only 12 percent are women. As Blacks and Hispanics each make up about 13 percent of the overall population and women comprise roughly…

In this article, the author discusses alternative routes to certify career and technical education teachers. Meeting the demand for qualified teachers is a challenge in all areas of education. One solution being utilized is the implementation of alternative certification (AC) programs which give individuals opportunities to earn their teaching…

As the first National Board Certificate Teachers (NBCTs) reached the end of their initial ten-year certification, members of this group were surveyed to ascertain the impact National Board Certification has had on their careers and on their students' learning, as well as their intentions toward renewal. Respondents overwhelmingly reported that…

This report--based on an exploratory empirical study of state certification and licensure policies, 10 states' employment databases, a survey of teachers with interstate mobility experience, and focus groups of American Association for Employment in Education members and Troops-to-Teachers state directors--focuses on the certification and…

This study was designed to examine the impact NCLB defined teacher-quality variables (1) major/minor in mathematics, (2) highest academic degree, (3) type of teaching certificate, (4) years taught mathematics (NCLB, 2001) on the mathematics average scale scores of eighth-grade students. The study used a secondary analysis of the 2007 National…

This report examines the career trajectories of those who have successfully completed the Passport to Teaching certification offered by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) during its first years of existence. To elicit information on the career choices of Passport alumni, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR)…

Many physical education teachers are hired with the expectation that they fulfill an extra-curricular role. Those who are dual position physical educators and athletic trainers may be exposed to many accumulating occupational pressures. The purpose of this mixed methods study, therefore, was to identify the extent to which role strain permeates…