It has been generally accepted that teaching does not meet the criteria of a profession, at least as exemplified by the more mature professions of medicine and law (Abbott, 1988; Darling-Hammond & Youngs, 2002; Etzioni, 1969; Howsam, Corrigan, Denemark, & Nash, 1976). Teaching is most often referred to as a semiprofession; Myers's (2008 [this…

In this article the author responds briefly to the three authors who reviewed his manuscript. Furthermore, he states that the service model that he proposed was not a compromise or a lesser goal for teachers than professional status; it was a more accurate and uplifting goal. The teacher as a service professional could have widespread support…

The purpose of this original quasi-experimental research was to investigate the potential for using case-based instruction during the student teaching seminar as a means for promoting practicum student teachers' critical reflection about facilitating children's learning. In addition, the study explored the impact of varied modes for delivering…

This article provides a conceptual basis for a teacher preparation course designed to improve the writing skills and teaching practices of in-service teachers. To propose this course, we first examined the research on preparing all secondary in-service teachers to use writing well. Research suggests that teachers' histories as writers greatly…

This research examined the nature of classroom decision making among three elementary teachers (the first in her 8th year, the second in her 3rd year, and the third in her 1st year). We were interested in understanding how teachers experience the complexity of classroom decision making and how they manage the cognitive load while teaching. The…

The purposes of this study were to identify critical events that student teachers encountered and to investigate how the interaction between the characteristics of student teachers and their school environment influences their role-assumption strategies. Twenty-seven student teachers (15 elementary and 12 secondary) in three midwestern communities…

Teacher education introduces preservice teachers (PSTs) to their roles and responsibilities in classroom and school communities. As part of this process, PSTs identify themselves as potential agents of change during their practicum experiences. However, when PSTs participate in school communities outside the classroom, their actions suggest that…

The legal preparedness of preservice teachers has a longstanding history that consists of nonempirical findings and published research, including dissertations. This slowly evolving body of literature and research has been clouded by unsubstantiated claims and studies of weak research design. This article attempts to unravel the literature from…

This article presents the results of a study that examined what states expect individuals to know about school law to become licensed to teach. A web-based survey was used to determine the extent to which state certification bureaus use their primary policy levers (licensing standards, transcript review, and mandated assessments) to ensure teacher…

The purpose of this article is to inform teachers, administrators, students, and university faculty about the most important legal topics to include in preservice teacher education programs. Surprisingly, only a few studies have attempted to identify the most important topics. This article reviews the relevant literature regarding school law…

Schools today function in an environment of complicated rules and regulations. Training preservice teachers in educational law is not only necessary; it is important work. Professors and administrators were surveyed on the methods, materials, and strategies that they employed to teach education law to preservice teachers. The predominant teaching…

The article provides a concise and up-to-date synthesis of the published case law where a student teacher was the plaintiff, or suing party, and the defendant was an institution of higher education and/or the cooperating local school district. There were 28 of these court decisions, and the outcomes favored the defendant institutions in 23 of them…

This article entails an in-depth case study of one journey to implement and institutionalize an undergraduate law course for elementary and secondary teacher education majors. To provide a context for this case study, the initial section reviews research pertaining to the need for such instruction, as well as commentary on models that have been…

The knowledge base of education-related law is growing at a rapid pace. The increase in federal and state statutes is rising commensurate with litigation that directs teachers on curricular, professional, and social matters. At the same time, numerous studies provide significant evidence that teachers lack an adequate level of knowledge of…

To explore the relationship between teachers' knowledge of school law and their involvement in litigation, this study examined cases between 2000 and 2008 involving teachers who faced some adverse employment consequence. A total of 130 published cases were analyzed revealing the following: School districts and other school authorities prevail in…