Although there is no consensus on how to assess teacher quality, scholars do agree that the improvement of teaching is the most important step that we can take toward improving the quality of education of our students and the one that directly affects learning outcomes (Perlman & McCann, 1998). Teacher assessment has become a cornerstone issue…

Is the quality of instruction systematically better in one subject than another? Teachers and students in the same Chicago high schools reported on one core-curriculum class (English, mathematics, science, or social studies) in 2007 surveys. Teachers commented on instructional demands and student participation. Students described engagement,…

Educators' work is impacted by the political narratives constructed by politicians and legislators. The manipulation of cultural archetypes, including the representations of schools and teachers, in order to create compelling narratives in support of policy is also part of the context within which educators work. The past 25 years have been laden…

The so-called achievement gap in mathematics is reframed as a problem of unequal opportunities to learn experienced by many low-income students and many Latino and African American students. First, data are presented showing striking and persistent differences on standardized tests among students of different ethnic groups, and socioeconomic…

This study used regression analysis to identify the characteristics of teachers in an underperforming high school who were most likely to blame students and their parents for students' low achievement. The results revealed that the teachers who were most likely to do so can be characterized mostly by negative and contradictory attributes. The need…

This paper examines the experiences and context in the making of a Chicano activist. Utilizing autoethnographic methodology, I discuss my own identity development, as it was mediated by issues of social capital and mentoring, two significant elements related to Chicano educational activism. I discuss dimensions or race, class, self-esteem, and…

This article documents the socialization experiences of beginning teachers in five pairs of middle schools and explores the differences in the socialization experiences as they relate to the effectiveness of the middle school where these experiences took place. This research jointly studies school effects and teacher effects through the case study…

A critical challenge to improving the quality of teaching and student performance outcomes is to reconsider how educators are initially trained and provided opportunities for professional renewal and retooling throughout their career. Professional development as discussed in this paper is considered across the career span of all educators and as…

Young women, who have many options today, must want to teach, and they must be prepared to do so. Higher standards for beginning teachers and fewer jobs have made teaching as a career more competitive. As any experienced teacher knows, however, there is no way one can be fully prepared for dealing with the complexities of teaching. Translating…

This article reports the general findings of a survey study designed to extend knowledge about high school teacher attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which high school teacher attitudes toward inclusion are affected by classroom experience…

Teachers use questioning as a key instructional tool for a number of reasons. Four reasons were highlighted. As well, six major classes of questioning were evaluated. (Author/RK)

In the author's view, unwarranted blame for education's problems was placed on teachers in the CBS television special, "Is Anyone Out There Learning?" This entire journal issue consists of comments on this CBS special aired in August, 1978. (SJL)

Examines three concepts crucial to the learning process: 1) student learning improves when they are involved in learning activities, 2) involvement through problem solving techniques maximizes student learning, 3) transfer of learning includes four basic principles. (Author/RK)

This study, conducted in 1974-75 at Cherokee High School, Cherokee County, Georgia, compared the attitudes of eleventh grade United States history students taught in a team teaching approach with similar students taught in a traditional approach. (Author/RK)