This book provides an overview of the challenges involved in improving teacher education for faculty members, department chairs, administrators, and policymakers. The book includes the concrete experiences of 12 English and foreign language faculty members at different universities who studied their teacher preparation programs. It also offers an…

This second in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps exist notes that standard explanations for why minority students trail behind non-Hispanic whites are not good enough, suggesting that no single explanation for the gap exists, but instead a multitude of factors are influential. Poverty, though not the single most important cause,…

This list of seven standards for teacher educators explains indicators and potential sources of evidence for each standard. The standards are: (1) model professional teaching practices which demonstrate knowledge, skills, and attitudes reflecting the best available practices in teacher education; (2) inquire into and contribute to one or more…

This report contains recommendations from North Carolina's National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) on how to support and staff high-needs schools and solve the state's staffing problems in these schools. Beyond financial incentives, a comprehensive approach is recommended that takes into account the working conditions that North Carolina's NBCTs…

In this study, from a list of ethical "do's" and "don't's" for teachers, four categories of ethical issues emerged: competence, professional relationships, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. Competence embodies both negative and positive aspects, as teachers not only must refrain from doing the wrong thing but also must work to enhance…

The purpose of this report is to provide a "snapshot" of the status of technology use in United States schools. The report focuses on the following: school access to technology; student use of computers; evaluating the impact of educational technology; connecting teachers and technology; assessing the content and quality of courseware;…

This policy brief draws together research, ideas, and initiatives on improving teaching quality, especially materials from states in the Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory's region. It is intended to help policymakers think about which policies might foster improved teacher quality and how to combine policies into an integrated strategy…

This report represents the thirteenth Follow-Up Study by the Teacher Education Assessment Committee (TEAC) at Central Missouri State University. TEAC is a centralized system of data collection and assessment that solicits input from Central's professional education faculty, preservice teachers, program graduates, employers of teachers prepared at…

This book provides K-12 teachers with information about effective teaching and learning tools. Each innovation has a long history of use and has been researched and evaluated in a variety of settings. The innovations foster a student-centered classroom environment that is equitable and rigorous. The nine chapters focus on: (1) "The Power of…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Early Intervention Specialist Program, a preservice personnel preparation project designed to develop, implement, and evaluate a new interdisciplinary certificate/credential process for early interventionists providing services within Connecticut's early intervention system. The…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) amends and changes programs from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Although the main component of this bill is Title I, it also highlights teacher education quality. NCLB was accompanied, for fiscal year 2002, by the largest increase ever in federal education aid, targeting federal resources to support…

This policy paper provides information about issues surrounding the education of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) student populations, noting that preparing non-English speakers to survive in English-dominant schools and society is more complex than current policy debates would suggest. The paper stresses the need for teachers who can…

High-quality teachers play a significant role in improving student achievement. Compensation is a critical factor in attracting and retaining skilled teachers. This publication addresses the issues of the impact of teacher compensation and the factors that influence it. The book addressees teacher compensation from an economic perspective and…

This paper describes the transformation of Idaho State University's teacher education program in response to various initiatives regarding educational change. The transformation process involved framing a standards-based preparation program. Developers created a Core Standards for Beginning Teachers that established exit outcomes for prospective…

This paper presents the process, synthesized research, and teacher training outcomes derived from a year-long process of establishing a research-based teacher education knowledge base. A broad-based committee at Pittsburg State University, Kansas, was appointed to review best practice literature, various national standards, and teacher education…