This personal narrative describes the efforts of a teacher education institution to understand and introduce teacher leadership into the preparation of teachers. The author provides the history and context of the institution as well as the structures and processes the institution used to achieve these goals. The article concludes with lessons…

Drawing on the author's experience as director of a long-lived school-university partnership, this essay describes how one such organization can "do it right" and enhance the development of teacher leadership in schools. It also provides a cautionary tale about how that same organization can "do it wrong" and achieve the…

The careers of faculty members pass through transitional stages, during which they may receive mentoring; develop competence; fulfill their institutionally specific responsibilities in teaching, research, and service; achieve career aspirations; and, hopefully, maintain enthusiasm for and commitment to their professional endeavors. The importance…

The National Center for Educational Statistics, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education, compiles statistical data for U.S. schools. As charts indicate, in 2001, it reported that nationwide, 76% of high-income graduates immediately enroll in colleges or trade schools. However, only 49% of Hispanic and 59% of African Americans enroll…

This study examines preservice and in-service teachers' perspectives on their preparation in learning parental involvement strategies and explores their opinions on what kind of experiences regarding parental involvement they think teacher education programs should provide. The data from the study suggested that the preservice teachers held…

In this article, college students and faculty narrate their co-constructed journey across differences, through intersecting identities and intertwining paths in an effort to stand in solidarity with students, teachers, and community members resisting the removal of the Mexican-American Studies (MAS) program in the Tucson Unified School District in…

This study explores the appropriateness of the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) as an instrument of assessing English-language arts (ELA) teacher candidates' effectiveness in a rural border community. Eight -candidates participated in the study. The findings call into question the adequacy of PACT to assess the…

Increasing postsecondary access depends in large part on enhancing underrepresented students' writing ability, or college writing readiness. However, what exactly constitutes college-level writing is not clear-cut, complicating efforts to improve secondary preparation. This article examines recent efforts to define postsecondary writing,…

Much has been written about the importance of reflective practice. What is missing is reflective work on the part of teacher educators to address the mismatch between university-based methods courses and the realities of classroom life. With examples from a third grade mathematics classroom as well as a university-based mathematics methods course,…

This is the story of three professors who found collective success in certain old-time approaches to teaching. Using three different first-person perspectives from Professors Burg, Piedmont, and Kamke, we examine some of the key components of such teaching orientation that may be helpful for professors navigating increased enrollments, while…

This study elucidates the role that authenticity--knowing and being one's self--plays in preservice teachers' introduction to care ethics in a multicultural urban context. In one teacher education program, in observations, interviews, and surveys, preservice teachers described that caring required authenticity to avoid complying with…

Faculty members at a research extensive university who had been recognized as outstanding teachers stated that they enjoyed teaching and expressed a strong preference for actively engaging students in the learning process and placing a high degree of importance on receiving student feedback. They stressed the importance of setting clear…

This essay offers suggestions for faculty who are designing study abroad (SA) experiences by outlining a three-week Maymester study abroad to Reggio Emilia, Italy, and a semester-long study abroad to Brussels, Belgium. The authors reflect on commonalities in planning, recruiting, preparing students, and conducting each trip, as well as some of the…

Service learning can contribute to preservice teachers' understandings of reading instruction and also their confidence as teachers of reading. This qualitative study compared two sections of one undergraduate reading methods course: one with a service learning component and one with a typical field placement. The service learning…

Anyone involved in education gets a sense that, as teachers gain experience, they begin to lose the idealism they once had. The idealism found in preservice teachers (wanting to change the world and affect lives) is soon altered by the reality of the profession. The purpose of this study was to determine the philosophical beliefs that preservice…