Introduction: Rapidly expanding science and mandates for maintaining credentials place increasing demands on continuing medical education (CME) activities to provide information that is current and relevant to patient care. Quality may be seen as the perceived level of service measured against consumer expectations. Standard tools have not been…

Latina/o students often experience coursework that is remedial and unchallenging--benign at best, a dumbing-down at worst. This potential limiting curriculum is not only failing to provide Latinas/os with the credentials necessary to advance economically, but their education denies them the opportunity to develop the critical voices and…

In the fall of 2003 a number of factors came together to create a fertile environment for developing an alternative, pre-service teacher education model. The overarching goal of the model is to diversify a rural university's credential program(s) by developing and offering alternative paths toward teacher certification within the constraints of a…

This study of teacher staffing issues in the School District of Philadelphia, the third in a series, outlines the degree to which the district has succeeded in upgrading teachers' professional credentials, recruiting and retaining them, and equitably distributing experienced and credentialed teachers across all types of schools. Since the passage…

This study investigated the professional development needs, preferences, and practices of secondary school counselors in Utah. Participants included 226 secondary school counselors who responded to a 20-question survey instrument. The respondents revealed that most of them exceed minimum licensure requirements for professional development but also…

This paper tests the central tenet of social psychology and the life-course perspective that broader contexts of opportunity and constraint moderate the ability of individuals to act on their plans and ambitions. We use the 1972 National Longitudinal Study to assess the impact of mastery on achieving one's occupational expectations and to…

In this article we examine the economic case for merit or performance-based pay for K-12 teachers. We review several areas of germane research. The direct evaluation literature on these incentive plans is slender; highly diverse in terms of methodology, targeted populations, and programs evaluated; and primarily focused on short-run motivational…

We use a rich administrative dataset from North Carolina to explore questions related to the relationship between teacher characteristics and credentials on the one hand and student achievement on the other. Though the basic questions underlying this research are not new--and, indeed, have been explored in many papers over the years within the…

Historically, lifelong learning (under the name adult education) in Canada had a broad base and covered a wide variety of purposes and activities. Many programs included social, community and social justice visions and worked to strengthen local communities. However, with the advent of the so-called New Economy, this has changed. Canadian…

This document discusses all aspects of credentialing from both a past and present perspective, considers the future of counselor credentialing, and provides a synopsis of the credentialing movement in counseling. Seven chapters are included: (1) "Counselor Credentialing: Purpose and Origin" (Thomas J. Sweeney); (2) "Counselor Certification"…

Presents the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of a study in California in which journalism teachers were surveyed to determine their qualifications. (RB)

A study was conducted to identify characteristics considered important by personnel directors when reviewing resumes. Findings were obtained from questionnaires completed by 166 respondents located throughout the Midwest. Results suggest that there are very definite opinions held by individuals whose function is frequently to review resumes. A…

Article describes four certification options for principals, and points out that the trend is toward greater flexibility. (Editor)

Concludes that the female teacher who is willing to compete for promotions on the basis of her professional qualifications and productivity record does not have to feel she is at a disadvantage. (Author/RB)