This report presents the results of a review of Florida's teacher certification system, administered by the Department of Education. The review addressed: (1) how Florida should regulate teachers to ensure that they are professionally qualified and possess the credentials, knowledge, and skills to provide a quality education; (2) who should…

This report, the second in a series published by the National Council on Teacher Quality, examines states' progress in meeting the new federal requirement that by the end of the 2005-2006 school year there will be a "highly qualified teacher" in every classroom in the nation. This new requirement has led to some discomfort in more than a…

This document contains two contributions: "Voyaging from Theory to Practice in Teaching: Measure Up" (Barbara J. Dougherty) and "Voyaging from Theory to Practice in Learning: Teacher Professional Development" (Joseph Zilliox). Hawaii is a place of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and traditions representing a myriad of global…

As schools attempt to accommodate an increasing range of students with disabilities, linguistic differences, or other unique requirements, teachers worry about their preparation to deal with these differences. General education teachers do not always have the necessary background. Special education teachers may have only limited knowledge about…

This report examines pay systems for teachers, focusing on knowledge and skill-based systems. Such systems reward teachers with base increases or bonuses for acquiring and demonstrating specific knowledge and skills needed to meet educational goals such as improving student achievement. The report examines a study of 6 school districts and one…

This final performance report discusses the activities and outcomes of a project that addressed the need for training certified and highly qualified secondary special education teachers to provide classroom and transition related instruction and services to students with low incidence or severe disabilities. The project was carried out by the…

This paper examines Florida's standards-driven performance assessment, emphasizing teacher preparation, and touching on K-12 accountability. Florida's educational reform and accountability efforts are driven by the Florida System of School Improvement and Accountability document. The system is derived from state goals similar to the national Goals…

This paper describes the philosophy, implementation, and assessment of the Natural Sciences (NatSci) Program at the University of New Mexico which is designed to provide preservice elementary and middle school teachers with the understanding of science content and processes necessary to teach science confidently and competently in their future…

This fact sheet describes the role of the transition specialist, an individual who plans, coordinates, delivers, and evaluates transition educational services at the school or system level, in conjunction with other educators, families, students, and representatives of community organizations. It summarizes the competencies for transition…

Although it is not yet common practice, case studies are beginning to be used in undergraduate music methods classes. One fruitful approach is the use of case studies as a means of nurturing reflective practice through cooperative learning activities. This paper describes and presents support for the case method of instruction through a review of…

Noting recent research findings indicating that commonly used transition practices may not be well-suited to the needs of children and families, this report summarizes educational policy issues related to the transition to kindergarten and presents recommendations for policy changes. The report notes that the transition to kindergarten and the…

Reviews research on the role of context in learning how to teach physical education. Discusses how to develop strategies for learning teaching context, the integration of concepts into the teaching act, and ways to design teacher education programs that designate context and have deliberate strategies to prepare students for context. (SM)

Suggests links from research to practice in key areas of inclusive early childhood education including teachers' knowledge base and beliefs, communication, physical environment, activities and materials, social interactions, and curriculum and instruction. (DB)

This paper describes prevailing models of teacher education programs in Israel and notes differences in their student teaching components. Suggests that the variability is due to different views regarding professional, epistemological, and sociopolitical factors, which result in a variety of teacher education programs, especially practicum…

Suggests that the curricular fit of climate change is best in Earth systems-oriented classrooms. Discusses the opposition to human-mediated climate change as a curriculum topic. (Contains 32 references.) (DDR)