A group of 20 practicing teachers were asked to define "unteachable" students. Their answers range from "students who lack interest, those facing problems in learning, those who refuse to accept changes, students who find it difficult to learn in formal environments, those who are unpredictable, defiant, show no interest in self…

The importance of state academic standards soared in January 2002 with passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Not only does that milestone law require all states to have demanding academic standards in place and to demonstrate steady student progress toward academic proficiency as set forth in those standards, it also links states'…

All universities are required by the Board of Regents (BoR) and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to redesign their Special Education Programs to address new state certification requirements, state/national content standards, state/national teacher standards, PRAXIS expectations, and NCATE requirements. Once programs have been…

The Pacific Communities with High-performance in Literacy Development (Pacific CHILD) Professional Development Model research project was initiated in response to an overwhelming need in PREL's Pacific service region for improvement of teachers' knowledge and instructional practices in early reading. This report examines the question of the…

In this paper, we describe the results a study assessing the relationship between the certification of teachers by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and elementary level student achievement. We examine whether NBPTS assesses the most effective applicants, whether certification by NBPTS serves as a signal of teacher…

As all educators face the pressures of accountability, it has become more important to hire effective teachers skilled at fostering outstanding academic achievement. This book is designed to provide both school administrators and teachers with information and inspiration about what goes into being an effective teacher. Chapter 1 describes a…

This book discusses various pay and compensation initiatives in use nationwide, highlighting: (1) How Are Teachers Compensated?" (current status of teacher compensation and the changing context of teaching); (2) "What Have We Learned from Attempts at Change?" (three approaches to compensating teachers, recent short-lived reform…

The demand for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes and for qualified teachers has greatly increased in recent years. Professional development for teachers of adult ESL learners is crucial. Despite their numbers, adult ESL programs, learners, and teachers remain somewhat marginal in adult education policy and structure, and some believe that…

This testimony highlights two components of the 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act (which were intended to enhance the quality of classroom teaching by improving training programs for prospective teachers and qualifications of current teachers). One component provides grants, and another, called the "accountability provisions," requires…

This paper examines the results of current research on education funding for low income children, noting findings in three areas: the overall relationship between education funding and student performance, recent estimates of the amount of additional funding needed to narrow the poverty-based academic achievement gap, and specific…

The failure to ensure that the nation's classrooms are all staffed with qualified teachers is one of the most important problems in contemporary American education. Over the past decade, many panels, commissions, and studies have focused attention on this problem and, in turn, numerous reforms have been initiated to upgrade the quality and…

It is fashionable to say that teaching can be the most rewarding profession there is- and it can be. Most teachers can all give examples of the pleasure of helping a child grow in knowledge and understanding, and achieve their potential. But what about the teacher? They shouldn't be excluded from the benefits of lifelong learning because of their…

This document offers a guide to enhance the quality of Michigan social studies teaching. The document draws on two sources, "A Vision of Powerful Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies" (National Council for the Social Studies) and "A Guide to Authentic Instruction and Assessment: Vision, Standards and Scoring" (Newmann,…

This paper discusses appropriate measurement content and instructional strategies for courses in classroom assessment in the areas of grading and communicating assessment results. Classroom teachers need to understand a wider range of assessments than many textbooks cover, and an aspiring teacher's classroom assessment practices need to be…

This report presents the eighth Follow-Up Study by the Teacher Education Assessment Committee (TEAC) at Central Missouri State University (Central). TEAC is a centralized system of data collection and assessment that conducts and publishes results of periodic assessments and evaluations of Central's teacher education programs. Data came from…