Equity of access is one of the American Library Association's (ALA's) five key action areas. Discussions of digital divide issues sometimes sound confusing and unfocused; however, the digital divide issue provides information professionals with the opportunity to discover more about their own skills and potential, to understand more about library…

This monograph is the result of a one-year qualitative study conducted by the National Institute for Science Education (NISE) of reform-oriented interventions, structures, and relationships in preservice and inservice education of teachers of science and mathematics. The study investigated 61 initiatives of reform activity involving teachers of…

The debate over how to prepare a new generation of teachers has reached a fever pitch in education and policy communities. This policy brief takes the viewpoint that quality alternative certification programs (ACPs) offer ways to develop a broader pool of prospective teachers while helping states address concerns about teacher development,…

Since technology use in schools has been increasing, teachers want to maximize its use in their classroom to increase student learning. Therefore, accreditation requirements for colleges include integrating computer and information technology with teacher education and professional development programs. This paper describes different models for…

This study investigates the influence of reflective journal writing paired with inquiry-based science instruction on preservice teachers' beliefs about science and science teaching. Students who enrolled in the integrated science course participated in journal writing and surveys. The course design was developed along educational change models…

For the past five years, colleagues in the Strategic Literacy Initiative at WestEd have been designing and implementing a professional development program focused on enabling teachers to build their understanding of the complexities of reading. In developing this program, centered around what they call a "Reading Apprenticeship"…

An important first step toward more effectively addressing the complexities of child care as a service for families and as an employment setting for workers in California is to develop a detailed picture of the child care workforce. On this premise, a study examined licensed family child care provider demographics, professional preparation, length…

The growing demand for guidance on teaching about the world religions in U.S. high schools and colleges over the past few years prompted the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) to devote its seventh annual History Institute, April 2001, to exploring the topic. The institute brought together university faculty and 44 high school teachers from…

This Critical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on the literature available on the internationalization of postsecondary education. The citations are grouped into these major categories: (1) Importance of International Education; (2) Curriculum; (3) Intercultural; (4) International Studies; (5) Language; (6) Professional Schools; (7)…

This book is a self-study instructional guide designed to explain how to deliver a course. The guide includes four modules: (1) Introduction to Classroom Instruction; (2) Fundamentals of Learning; (3) Methods of Delivering Instruction; and (4) Administration, Evaluation, and Feedback. Each module includes a case that presents a problem or…

Engaged communication disciplines put the professional development of future faculty at the center of their mission. The communication discipline values effective and competent interaction within varying contexts, including interpersonal, organizations, public and mass communication, as well as performance studies. Its practitioners therefore…

This paper reports a conversation about what constitutes the nature of science (NOS) and what are the best ways to prepare teachers to teach their pupils to understand what it is. The study explores the effects of the explicit teaching of the nature of science in a science education course with a pedagogy component on preservice teachers'…

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an alternative approach to perform relevant and useful evaluations of Web-based learning and instruction (WBLI) that will accommodate performance and keep pace with the growing capabilities of the Internet. Discussion includes the advantages of WBLI, multimedia and streaming use in WBLI, building the…

This book reports on the first wave of the Mosaic Project which investigates the effects of educational change and teaching practices in mathematics and science on student achievement. The Mosaic project was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and featured two waves. The states that participated in the first wave were State Systemic…

A study explored the nature of collaborative learning as a method to prepare future nurses for collaboration in health care. Qualitative research data collection and analysis methods were used. A constant comparative method occurred during and after the data were gathered. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document review were the…