West Virginia University's five-year preservice teacher education program prepares general education teachers for students with special needs. Using a strand approach, special education learning outcomes and competencies have been incorporated into core education courses. A survey of 72 program participants and 11 faculty members indicates…

This article discusses desired characteristics and competencies in teachers of gifted students who are culturally, ethnically, or linguistically diverse. These include: culturally relevant pedagogy, equity pedagogy, a holistic teaching philosophy, a communal philosophy, respect for students' primary language, culturally congruent instructional…

This interview examines teacher craft knowledge and educational quality, noting that schools cannot improve themselves and suggesting that in order to be taken seriously, the teaching profession must take seriously its heroes and the important work teachers do. The paper discusses the role of school-based reformers and the need for professional…

The argument that instructors with marketable skills are likely to exit the teaching profession leads many to believe that public schools are populated by teachers of mediocre talent. Yet, teachers with skills attractive to non-education employment may not be the best individuals in the classroom. A two-stage regression technique first estimates a…

Good teaching is ultimately deeply and thoroughly grounded in knowledge. The days of the "if you can't do anything else, then teach" mentality are long gone, ushered out due to major changes in knowledge about effective teaching. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education…

Though exceptions undoubtedly exist, women with higher aptitudes can ordinarily be expected to be more effective classroom teachers than those with lower aptitudes. It is therefore troubling to think that in the United States those entering the teaching profession in recent years have, on average, lower measured aptitudes than their predecessors.…

The influence of early childhood programs on the entire education community cannot be overstated. These programs have highlighted the important role that successful learning experiences at home and experiences in high-quality early childhood programs play in future academic success (Wesley & Buysse, 2003). The purpose of this article is to…

What does it mean to be a professional and to exhibit professionalism? Depending on the context, these concepts may evoke many images and have multiple definitions. In this paper, we examine what it means to be a professional and to exhibit professionalism in the field of education. We go beyond theoretical definitions of teacher professionalism…

We converted the Teacher Behaviors Checklist (TBC; Buskist, Sikorski, Buckley, & Saville, 2002) to an evaluative instrument to assess teaching by adding specific instructions and a Likert-type scale. Factor analysis of the modified TBC produced 2 subscales: caring and supportive and professional competency and communication skills. Further…

In higher education, approaches to teaching are becoming more student-centred, which demands different teaching competencies. Therefore, it is necessary to have an adequate framework of teaching competencies that can be used for evaluation purposes. The weaknesses of the existing frameworks are that they do not pay attention to the person as…

Background: During a nine-week teaching practice, 20 student teachers spent about 1.5 hours each week videoconferencing with one university faculty member and five student teachers from five different schools, while the other 22 student teachers did not have any videoconferences. Both groups were encouraged to make conscious effort in talking to…

The gymnasium is a new type of school, in the Polish system since 1999. The environmental content at this stage of education is taught mainly in the form of the so-called interdisciplinary educational track. The method of implementing the environmental education track, the involvement of subject teaching in education for the environment and the…

The use of behavior-based interviewing in the business world to identify the strongest candidates who are best suited to positions may now be coming of age in the world of education. Because middle school environments must provide strong educational experiences for their students, behavior-based interviewing may help schools hire new teachers who…

Teacher tenure is a hotly contested concept in today's' school reform battles. Many discussions of tenure, however, use the term in incorrect ways that add little to the concepts that should be debated. Historically, tenure represents due process rights teachers acquire after several years of successful service. Other procedures, such as teacher…

In a new study that has already raised some hackles, a noted expert on teacher education paints the field as a troubled one in which a majority of aspiring teachers are educated in low-quality programs that do not sufficiently prepare them for the classroom. In his 140-page report, which includes surveys of alumni, school principals, and deans of…