This report is the second in a series of policy papers on the education of educators. It identifies several model teacher education programs, but also finds that the majority of the nation's teachers are prepared in programs that have low admission and graduation standards and cling to an outdated vision of teacher education. Both state…

This study examines whether two online courses offering educational support for junior faculty have a positive effect on their attitudes to learning and curriculum and teaching capacities (CTC). The data used in the analysis are from two 2005 online university training courses. The tasks the online courses assign to faculty, the resources they…

In 2004, the Ohio Transfer Articulation Guide (TAG) for Education set forth the Professional Education Module to serve as the foundation for preparation into all licensure areas for teachers. A TAG is a transfer module or set of courses approved by the Ohio Board of Regents that provides a standard set of general education courses (such as English…

This article presents findings from an exploratory pilot project which aimed at fostering electronic and professional literacy skills of preservice language teachers through computer-mediated peer collaboration. The research context is a qualitative case study involving cooperation via the email and chat functions of "FirstClass" among…

Growing awareness of the importance of teacher quality in mathematics and science has stimulated a variety of national reports and funded initiatives for the purpose of improving teaching and learning in K-12 schools. This study examined the work of awardees in one federally-funded program that included a focus on increasing the number, quality,…

This paper argues that the reluctance on the part of university teacher educators to engage in thorough self-study, frequently a feature of accreditation processes, is inhibiting teacher education reform because the self-study can be a significant means to improve teacher education. Reluctance resides, in part, in the distinction between academic…

An analysis of a student teacher's lesson in multiplication for Norwegian second graders explored why the lesson did not succeed. Two interpretive frameworks were used to analyze the lesson: teaching as a complex cognitive activity and teaching as improvisation. The student teacher, Marte, believed in child-centered education and tried to create…

This report provides results of a General Accounting Office review of the Delta Teachers Academy, a program funded primarily by the federal Department of Education to upgrade the subject area knowledge and teaching skills of elementary and secondary teachers in the Lower Mississippi Delta region (involving rural areas of Arkansas, Illinois,…

This report describes a practicum project designed to help first- through fourth-grade teachers acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and strategies necessary to work effectively with a diverse student population; improve the social and academic performance of culturally diverse students; and increase parent involvement at school. The…

This report covers progress in a Comprehensive Teacher Training Project (CTTP) from its inception in 1987 to 1992 including background, current status, problems and solutions, upcoming internal evaluation, future events, and feedback on the project. CTTP, a project of the Organization for Cooperation in Overseas Development, a Canadian-based…

This handbook is designed to identify classroom practices that research has shown to result in higher student achievement. The fundamental idea behind this book is that in order to succeed, efforts to improve instruction must foucs on the existing knowledge base about effective teaching and learning. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction" (Gordon…

This study explored fourth-grade teachers' understanding of mathematical problem solving, an aspect of the Vermont portfolio assessment program that has been largely ignored. Teachers' conceptions of problem solving, their knowledge of problem-solving strategies, their selection and evaluation of problem-solving tasks, and their instructional…

This five-volume directory describes almost 1,200 discretionary grants and contracts supported by the Research to Practice Division of the Office of Special Education Programs. The projects are grouped into five sections representing the seven program areas of the newly reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part D. This…

This study was conducted to examine teachers' knowledge of teaching mathematics and writing to diverse learners, and knowledge changes that occur over time, particularly during and after formal teacher education programs. Commonplaces of teaching were articulated as subject matter, learners, learning, and context. Three measurement instruments…

Teacher preparation programs are in danger of seriously under-preparing elementary teachers to teach mathematics for understanding if they wait to provide students with evidence of effective mathematics teaching methods in the mathematics methods courses. With strong traditional beliefs about how mathematics ought to be taught and their…