For the past decade, the teaching profession has been building a system of quality assurance incorporating seven elements: advanced certification, licensing standards, curriculum standards, alignment, accreditation, professional-development schools, and state standards boards. NCATE-accredited institutions produce more qualified teachers than…

Developmentally oriented teacher support teams and home-school partnerships are critical to learning environments that promote children's total development. The former focuses on supporting effective teaching and classroom management, preventing school and individual problems, and intervening early and intensively to avoid crises. The latter…

Discusses the importance of quality beginning teacher induction programs to both teachers and students, listing several essential components of quality induction programs, including: program vision; institutional commitment and support; quality mentoring; professional standards; and classroom-based teacher learning. The article looks at teacher…

Compared the readiness and success of contextually versus traditionally prepared student teachers. Surveys of student teachers, university supervisors, and cooperating teachers highlighted significant differences between student teacher groups in each area assessed. Contextually prepared teachers became integrated into their classrooms more…

Discusses current technology standards for teacher preparation programs. Describes the standards, performance profile, and statement of basic principles/actions developed by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE). Addresses the program standards developed by…

Traces the progression of professional development via formal degree programs from preservice through doctoral study. Interviews with doctoral students highlighted their motivation for undertaking doctoral studies and perceptions of the impact of doctoral studies on professional development and opportunities. Students recognized the benefits of…

Early childhood educators were assigned to one of three instructional conditions to assess the impact of computer workshops on their level of computer anxiety, knowledge, and comfort with technology. Overall, workshops provided gains that could translate into more effective and efficient computer use in the classroom. (Author)

Considers how many teacher educators feel caught between the need to comply with state and federal laws governing the approval of their teacher education programs and the desire to resist what many feel to be another example of "testing gone wild." Presents a conversation with Alfie Kohn on high stakes tests for teachers and for students. (SG)

Argues that the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education's (NCATE) intent to accredit only high quality programs is overly grandiose, suggesting that NCATE should instead focus on identifying weak programs. The article argues in support of this minimalist mission for NCATE and offers suggestions for moving NCATE toward a more…

In recent case studies, teachers' strong endorsement of National Board standards highlights the importance of encouraging policies that will increase participation and success rates and contribute to their equitable distribution. However, teachers face significant problems due to inadequate information and wide variations in available support…

Expresses doubts about whether the evidence presented by M. Wang, G. Haertel, and H. Walberg provides robust and consistent findings that could, or should, be used to inform educational policy and practice. Discusses five questions about the methodology of the study, and indicates that basing educational policy on their findings would be merely an…

Explores the role and purpose of research synthesis, and defends the conclusions drawn about school learning. The selection of the broad outcome "school learning" was an attempt to show that educational research and development can answer important questions about schooling. (SLD)

Examines how Bloom's Taxonomy can be used by Montessori teachers-in-training as an explanation for the level of proficiency exhibited by supervising teachers. Focuses on the process of becoming a skilled Montessori teacher in the context of the taxonomy and how supervising teachers and training programs can guide student teachers to deeper…

A national study involving 59 teachers instructing students with physical and health disabilities, 26 universities, 36 local school system directors, and 29 state departments of education, found over 40% of the teachers did not feel well trained in half of the competencies. Concerns regarding the effects of generic teacher certification are…

Although nearly 200 million has been invested in producing and rewarding National Board-certified teachers, a study by Lloyd Board and colleagues is the first to assess whether such teachers perform better than their peers. It is uncertain whether researchers' 13 measures of teacher expertise actually correlate with improved student achievement.…