Traces the development of teacher certification throughout the century, and discusses the current alternative certification movement. The discussion provides a context for the remaining articles of this special issue. These studies indicate the feasibility of alternative certification in teacher recruitment. (SLD)

Provides examples of schools and districts nationwide that use data-based decision making effectively to enhance beginning teacher induction, multi-age reading classes, literacy education, tracking of student achievement, ongoing staff development, and school discipline efforts. The programs share a commitment to putting data at the center of…

One of the most important aspects of NCLB is its demand that states ensure a "highly qualified" teacher for every student. This provision draws much-needed attention to the importance of ensuring equitable student access to high-quality teachers, write the authors. Some aspects of the provision have raised legitimate concerns--including…

As community colleges struggle with keeping their disciplines and programs up-to-date, offer more courses to an ever-increasing student population, and battle shrinking budgets, adjunct faculty save the day (Roueche, Roueche, & Milliron, 1995). To retain quality part-time faculty members already employed in community colleges, as well as new hires…

The CADRE Project is a collaborative teacher induction effort between higher education and K-12 practitioners. It was designed to make a difference in the induction experience of beginning teachers. The evaluation of the CADRE project was designed to assess whether the needs of the beginning CADRE teachers were being met. In order to assess…

New teachers are unprepared for school politics and the conflicts they experience with administrators, colleagues and policies. Research and practice on mentoring often ignore organizational contexts. This article explores these under-examined contexts, asking: (1) What do mentors need to know and be able to do in relation to school and district…

This paper reports on a small-scale case study of five newly qualified teachers in one school. The aim of the study was to identify the context and learning factors that enable and constrain the professional growth of new teachers, and to locate the place of formal induction arrangements within the broader experiences of the first year in…

This is the first in a series of four books presenting a variety of field experience program models and philosophies that drive the programs provided to preservice teachers during their undergraduate teacher preparation. This publications focuses on developing and evaluating an effective field experience program. Several common themes emerge from…

This study sought to determine how student-teachers perceived their competence as they proceeded through a 2-year certificate program and to identify what changes occurred in their perception during the first year of teaching. The subjects were student teachers in a new Certificate of Education Program (in primary education) at the Hong Kong…

This practical guide for new teachers is written by teachers and offers strategies for the early years of teaching that cover classroom practice and professional development. Seven chapters address teaching practice and cover the following topics: getting to know students at the beginning of the year; strategic planning for the whole year;…

This publication reports on significant steps taken by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing from July 1989 through June 1991 to address policy issues and challenges facing the State of California. The following aspects of the Commission's activities are described: establishment of the Commission's mission, goals and objectives; legislative and…

The Teacher Induction Partnerships program was developed by the University of Northern Colorado and several Colorado school districts. The program represents an approach to teacher induction which serves to support beginning and reentry teachers, foster collaborative relationships between the university and school districts, and increase new…

Statistics indicate that 15 percent of beginning teachers leave the profession after the first year of teaching, and more than 50 percent leave within 6 years. This study was conducted to identify the problems and concerns faced by neophyte teachers at the middle and high school levels, and to distinguish between the concerns of first-year,…

Finding and hiring highly qualified candidates in today's education marketplace can be as frustrating and demanding as it is rewarding and satisfying. National projections suggest special education personnel shortages in the coming years may tax the ability of schools to provide services for children with disabilities. While teacher turnover rates…

Career and technical education (CTE) administrators are increasingly being forced to resort to filling CTE teacher positions by hiring industry experts for classroom teaching positions and subsequently using creative ways to develop qualified, certified, and exemplary CTE instructors. Traditional teacher mentoring and induction programs fail to…