This document is a summary of the findings of an extensive review by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) of empirical research on the effectiveness of current approaches to licensing and certifying teachers. The research review focused on eight questions (and several subquestions) that are of particular interest and concern to policy and…

This paper draws on qualitative research in mountainous, rural areas of Tajikistan to reveal the complex and contradictory effects of the Soviet collapse on the life and work of teachers. While within the former USSR, Tajikistan experienced comparative modernization, but the Soviet collapse and 6 years of civil war left the republic with a ruined…

This study examined how three elementary teachers who acted as lead teachers in public schools in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia perceived themselves as contributors to building a professional culture in schools. The participants, two women and one man, were experienced teachers in elementary schools and were Master's degree candidates in a…

This cross-sectional, descriptive study explored seven aspects of classroom teachers' job satisfaction across six categories of years of teaching experience (ranging from 5 years or fewer to 26 years or more). The National Follow-up Survey of Teacher Education Graduates was mailed to 10,544 teachers in 307 restructured Ohio public schools and…

Cultural studies courses offered to undergraduate students of foreign languages tend to rely on canonical works that avoid sociopolitical perspectives and present the culture of the "Other" within the dominant world view. There is an urgent need to move from these traditional curricula to more engaging programs that capture the…

This review investigated the available literature on diversity and its relationship to teacher thinking. The literature review produced 36 studies, from which five categories emerged: beliefs teachers hold about student diversity and student performance; effective teaching in diverse settings; the impact of teacher experience on teacher cognition…

Determined relationships between college/secondary earth science teachers' confidence in ability to teach field-based earth science cognitive objectives and perceived sources of that confidence, discussing objectives teachers felt confident/unconfident in teaching. Indicates that inservice education ranked behind preservice education or teaching…

Proposals for extended teacher education programs are considered: (1) adding a year long internship to a four-year undergraduate program; (2) postponing professional training until a student has earned a B.A. or B.S.; and (3) requiring masters or doctoral degree programs in teaching for initial certification. (JN)

Forty experienced and inexperienced teachers, twenty male and twenty female, were observed in preschool classes to determine (1) what determines differential responses to boys and girls with regard to sex-preferred behaviors, and (2) whether male and female teachers differ in their teaching styles. (ST)

Criticizes "On What Basis Hope? Modern Progress and Postmodern Possibility" (Danforth), which discusses the difficulty educators and special educators have in making arguments that do not conform to the language and conventions of science. The article cites Danforth's failure to acknowledge that people with disabilities themselves have challenged…

This paper describes prevailing models of teacher education programs in Israel and notes differences in their student teaching components. Suggests that the variability is due to different views regarding professional, epistemological, and sociopolitical factors, which result in a variety of teacher education programs, especially practicum…

This paper examines two models of practical experience in teacher education in Hungary. The first is the traditional university training school system, and the second is a system based on partnership with schools in Budapest. Mentors have very different responsibilities in the two models, though they have a crucial role in both situations. (SM)

Presents a first person account of a student teacher's experience teaching within a juvenile justice program. The program, an alternative to juvenile detention centers, concentrates on rehabilitating and educating minors convicted of crimes and incorporates academic learning, counseling, and vocational training. Characterizes the experience as…

A teacher at a northern Ontario adult Native literacy program describes how she cultivates student motivation. The teacher-student relationship is the most influential factor for motivating students. By focusing on cultural awareness, cultural teaching practices, and a sense of community, teachers can help students be successful. Program…

Discusses whether the intersection of traditional and modern institutions in the Persian Gulf region influences student opportunities to learn. Provides preliminary and empirical indicators of how this might happen by estimating the degree of penetration of Gulf state culture and religious ideology into school organizational environments. (CAJ)