In the past, evaluation of teacher performance often focused on generic behaviors related to common instructional strategies (Medley, Coker, & Soar, 1984). More recently, educational researchers and test developers have focused more on teachers' subject matter knowledge as tested through tools like the Praxis and California's Single Subject…

As part of its ongoing process of formative evaluation, the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) conducted a survey of four cohorts of recent graduates. The data from this survey are being used in concert with findings from other lines of inquiry to assess and improve the program. The discussion in this paper is centered on several research…

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) effectively prepares new teachers to meet the needs of language minority students in California. Specifically, the authors studied the extent to which the program prepares students to meet the criteria of the Crosscultural Language and…

Stanford's preservice Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) undertook a self-study to investigate how its credential candidates who had previous teaching experience perceived the value of returning for formal preparation. Using a semi-structured protocol, 23 STEP graduates were interviewed from 1999 and 2000, asking them about their teaching…

Previous research suggests that teacher education programs may have little or no impact on teacher candidates' beliefs about teaching and that teachers' beliefs are difficult to change. As new teacher educators employed at a large urban university located in the Southwestern United States, the authors were dismayed to discover that the instruction…

Both the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future and the Holmes Group suggest that the solution to improving student learning is through formal university-school collaborations, or Professional Development Schools (PDSs). As the research base on PDS partnerships grows, so does the evidence that PDSs improve the quality of teaching in…

The magic formula for creating and supporting a productive researcher in schools of education has not yet been discovered. But good scholarship can make dramatic differences in the quality of academic life. Joint publications and research activities among faculty members can provide opportunities for personal and professional support and…

The video component of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) has documented that U.S. students spend most of their time in the mathematics classroom practicing routine procedures as opposed to inventing, analyzing, and proving them. The challenge for preservice and inservice teachers lies in creating a classroom environment…

In this article, the authors describe the results of research that explored how Proposition 227--a measure that mandates English immersion instruction for all English language learners--has affected bilingual teachers at varying points in their professional development. The perspectives of preservice, novice and veteran bilingual teachers offer…

The emphasis on technology in preservice teacher education has become more important with the introduction of new standards from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (2013). Despite continual efforts by teacher education programs, many social studies classroom teachers still do not effectively integrate technology into their…

Over 2 years a small group of middle school mathematics teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and practices were investigated in order to transform their practice to an inquiry-based, technology-rich model. Research has suggested that technology and pedagogical innovations should be introduced together, so that teachers learn mathematics in the way…

This study offers a new way to assess TPACK within the context of a graduate program revitalized to focus on new literacies. Whereas previous studies have focused on teacher lesson planning or modeling best practices, our research examines TPACK by exploring the Creative Synthesis Projects of graduates from our program. These projects reveal the…

The debate surrounding teacher quality often fails to differentiate effectively between teacher-preparation providers. This failure also extends to distinguishing between teachers prepared in traditional campus-based accredited programs from those prepared in unaccredited campus-based programs. This paper compares assessment infrastructure and…

This paper presents the results of a research study on preservice English teachers' understandings of the interconnection of literacy and technology in relation to their teaching practices. The study was conducted in an English education program among preservice teachers enrolled in a year-long internship. The data analyzed consisted of…

Many science educators emphasize the need for meaningful science learning experiences and promote the idea of social constructivism in their methods classes, usually with inquiry-based activities that include physical manipulatives. However, the proliferation of technology in the nation's schools suggests the need to incorporate this trend…