The essays presented in this "Occasional Paper" reflect the voices of those in the midst of becoming the teachers they hope to be. In these essays, teachers find courage, resourcefulness, insight, and inspiration. They are reminded not to give up on themselves. Three vital aspects explored in these essays include: (1) teaching is about being…

Whether in the context of work, parenting, or civic responsibility, strong literacy and communication skills are more essential than ever to realizing one's full potential in America. Many people who did not acquire these skills while growing up look to adult education programs for instruction in literacy, English language fluency, or other types…

This dissertation conducted a study that analyzed the impact of year-long mentorships on the decisions of nine new teachers of students with autism, hearing impairments, moderate retardation, and physical disabilities, to remain in the special education field. Mentors were recommended by principals but volunteered to be part of the support…

This report examines urban district hiring practices and their effect on applicant attrition and teacher quality, analyzing data from four hard-to-staff urban districts collected via telephone surveys with applicants who left for other districts, written surveys, focus groups with preservice and inservice teachers, and applicant tracking data.…

The purpose of this research is to determine the level of career satisfaction of elementary teachers who have been teaching for 15 or more years and to identify the forces that have kept them in the classroom and the teaching profession. Both quantitative and qualitative data collected in school districts in northern California and eastern…

Experience shows that mentoring has a positive effect on new teachers' professional lives. Quality induction programs promote greater teacher retention, breaking the cycle of attrition, which saves money for school districts and ensures that teacher shortages do not dictate hiring policy. These benefits are felt most in school districts with…

This report includes descriptions of the following Indiana public institutions: Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University, Indiana State University, University of Southern Indiana, Vincennes University, and Ivy Tech State College. For each institution, the following information is available: mission, enrollment breakdown, cost…

"Educating the Engineer of 2020" is grounded by the observations, questions, and conclusions presented in the best-selling book "The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century." This new book offers recommendations on how to enrich and broaden engineering education so graduates are better prepared to work in a…

The potentially contradictory effects of high-stakes testing on dropout rates both through rising retention rates and improving achievement, further complicate the question of the effects of high-stakes testing-based retention on dropping out. There are no studies that have tracked students over a number of years to determine the effects of this…

This study examines the application of dissonance theory to self-concept implementation in an attempt to explain the motivational process of vocational persistence among a group of Catholic seminarians. (Author)

Graduates and dropouts from six vocational training programs were compared on school record data and on responses to questionnaires. They did not differ significantly in age, level of education, high school completion, marital status, disabilities, or GATB score. Significant factors were: 1. whether vocational school offered student's first choice…

Lists the advantages that mastery learning has for students and some variables necessary to make mastery learning a reality. (Author/RK)

Assumptions underlying model rely on Cartwright and Harary's (1960) definition of Heider's cognitive balance theory and Festinger's (1957) cognitive dissonance theory. Diagrams illustrate degree of balance between personal and reference group (curch authorities, classmates, family) attitudes. Parts I and II in earlier issues. (CJ)

To test a deduction from Carroll's Model of School Learning (i.e., increasing a learner's perserverance will not alter degree of learning or learning rate), time needed to learn a task under an encouragement condition designed to increase perserverance was compared to learning time under a discouragement condition. As predicted, no significant…