The authors present results from a qualitative study involving recent faculty hires in a college of education at a research university. The focus of the study is experiences that relate to faculty confidence levels for successfully completing academic tasks. The study involves semi-structured interviews for data collection and an inductive…

The purpose of this study was to examine how various opportunity to learn (OTL) variables impact student outcomes and whether these effects are consistent across different subject areas. In this study, we examined the impact of OTL variables on student performance on English and algebra assessments. Despite the differences in the subject areas, 3…

In this article, the author discusses the importance of having more experienced and more prepared teachers for students to learn more. Here, the author presents two books: (1) A Good Teacher in Every Classroom; and (2) Preparing Teachers for a Changing World. A Good Teacher outlines current research on effective teaching, citing necessary areas of…

In this article, the author describes her responsibilities as an instructional support staff person. As a writing skills teacher, she functions as a support person to students and her fellow teachers. Her responsibilities are to teach content and strategies, monitor student progress, and work directly with the students and the inservice teachers…

One of the critical issues identified by the North Central Regional Education Laboratory (Cook and Fine 1997) is that the "ultimate worth of professional development for teachers is the essential role it plays in the improvement of student learning." Recently, several reports have been released on the importance of teacher quality (NEA…

Soon after formal education became the norm, those in leadership talked about making improvements to the process. However, decades after, educators still use some practices that are contraindicated by research findings. As such, physical educators are required to play a more active role in educational reform. In this article, the author presents a…

simple wedge with its tip made of durable, clear, and appropriate teaching standards forged in the furnace of science and theory widens to bring the materials and processes of art and practice to bear on the work of strengthening and renewing all of teaching by applying the national board's standards and assessment processes. With this model,…

The standards-based reform movement has led to increased emphasis on tests, coupled with rewards and sanctions, as the basis for accountability systems. These strategies have often had unintended consequences that undermine access to education for low-achieving students rather than enhancing it. This article argues that testing is information for…

The prospect of overseeing the rapid preparation of many participants in fast-track alternative certification programs presents several challenges for state education officials who seek to maintain, or even enhance, the quality of the state's teaching force. This study examined a range of fast-track alternative teacher certification programs in 11…

This study developed a teacher knowledge survey that measured teacher knowledge of reading-related concepts. Use with 41 second- and third-grade teachers and then 103 third- and fourth-grade teachers found significant associations among teachers' knowledge, classroom reading achievement levels, and teachers' observed teaching competence. The…

Reviewing and rethinking the 'knowledge base' for teacher education has become a particularly critical issue in recent times, given profound social and cultural shifts and changes and the emergence of new epistemological, political and technological conditions and contexts. This paper takes up the question of what are the key conceptual and…

Findings from research indicate that teachers participating in online professional development (OPD) activities and programmes have gained, in some way or another, a great deal of teacher competency. In spite of this, no research has been undertaken to systematically identify and acknowledge the types of teacher competencies that are frequently…

The crisis in UK mathematics education, both in schools and universities, has been widely reported in the national media. A recent study shows that 26% of full-time mathematics teachers in UK schools have no qualification in the subject, and that 31% of all UK schools' mathematics teachers are now over the age of 50. The crisis in school…

A growing body of research and literature describes a move to collaborative supervision of teaching. Is this process-based model reflected in supervisory practices adopted by supervisors when they work with marginal teachers--those whose teaching verges on the unacceptable? This study explored teachers' support for administrative practices…

We present an exploratory study that seeks to assess training practices and to link the training of teachers of nursing to changes in these practices. This is relevant because of the need to discover how training leads to changes in teaching practice. The objectives of the present study were to rate the importance attributed to training by…