This year-long qualitative case study explores the ways in which one teacher intern reflected upon her knowledge and experiences within two sometimes dichotomous domains: the elementary school classrooms in which she taught and her university coursework. Data collection took place over a period of eight months and consisted of twenty-two weekly…

The teacher education literature is replete with recommendations regarding the preparation of new teachers who are equipped to face the complexities and instructional demands of their first year of teaching. Recently, teacher education programs have begun to use online assessment products to provide evidence that their teacher candidates' can…

This paper investigates beginning teachers collaboratively making sense of and responding to the micropolitical environments of their schools. Drawing on a qualitative multi-case study conducted within the context of a university-sponsored, inquiry-based induction program, this research employs a community of practice frame to examine how novice…

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of what is known about teacher induction in special education and to outline recommendations for the design of induction programs and further research. Five questions guided this research: (1) What are the experiences and concerns of new special educators in their first years of…

Educators in New Zealand (NZ) stand poised to shift from a humanistic to a pedagogical viewpoint in their induction practices. Survey results discussed in this research brief are part of the first study to combine qualitative and quantitative methods in low-socio-economic primary schools. As part of her research for the New Teachers Center in…

New teachers need to know about the political context in which they are working, and the best way to do this is to adopt and maintain a quiet watchfulness and avoid allegiances. Listening and observing, reserving judgments, reflecting on the motivations of the participants in the debate--these are the crucial behaviors for the teacher learning the…

Seasoned principals know that when veteran teachers are replaced by large numbers of teachers new to the profession, student achievement levels are threatened. The influx of new teachers, coupled with consistently high rate of teacher attrition, creates challenges for principals who have the responsibility of bringing new teachers up the…

The authors review research literature on coherent theoretically based approaches to the use of reflective processes within programmes of initial professional education for new academic staff. Employing a novel methodology that incorporates practitioner perspectives, they establish a framework that highlights the role of personal and social…

The concept of developing teacher collaboration teams continues to be a prevalent problem for teachers and schools. The results of a Saskatchewan study of beginning teachers (Hellsten et al., 2007) was the finding that first and second year teachers perceived "planning and collaboration with other teachers", as well as "professional…

Each year, Austin Independent School District Department of Research and Evaluation (DRE) staff develop a plan of work to describe the scope of work for the coming year. The plans that make up this document identify programs to be evaluated and services to be provided by DRE staff and provide the blueprints for evaluation that staff will follow…

Across Australia and internationally, the vexed problem of staffing rural school remains a major issue affecting the educational outcomes of many rural students and their families. TERRAnova, (New Ground in Teacher Education for Rural and Regional Australia), is the name of a large Australian Research Council funded (2008-2010) project involving:…

In this paper, the authors review and analyze state policy regarding beginning teacher mentoring with a focus on special education. Mentoring policies guide the selection, assignment, and training of mentors and the process with which novice teachers are matched with veteran mentors. Mentoring is a component of induction; but induction also…

In this article, policy and research on teacher induction in Portugal are examined. The lack of a formal induction system (despite recognition of its relevance in legal policy documents) and the mismatch between national regulations and practice are also discussed. The authors argue the need for a coherent and sustained induction and support…

Data show that 46% of all teachers in public schools will leave the profession within their first 5 years of teaching (Ingersoll, 2003). These data refer to teachers from all disciplines including physical education. To address these problems school districts have developed teacher induction programs that show promising results. Our literature…

Examines the on-the-job learning needs of beginning teachers. Discusses research on teacher learning curve and enculturation process. Describes elements of a quality beginning-teacher induction program that involves mentoring and the use of standards. Views induction as an enculturation process. (Contains 11 references.) (PKP)