Investigated factors that one small, African American community in Alabama perceived as making its school a good school. Data from interviews and surveys involving parents, teachers, administrators, alumni, and community members, and from various primary and secondary documents, indicated that caring, competent, committed teachers; a range of…

Discusses "The Color of Teaching," which explores reasons for lack of interest in the teaching profession among students of color through interviews with urban teachers of color and addresses immigration, segregation, exclusion, separation, and discrimination as contexts for understanding teachers of color. The study finds that regardless of…

Documents the paucity of research on Chinese American teachers, noting how this contributes to the invisibility of Asian Americans as frontline participants in education and exploring bilingual Chinese American teachers' perceptions of the multicultural course requirement in teacher preparation. Data from teacher interviews, surveys, focus groups,…

Describes a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership between a teacher education program and a large African American Baptist church, focusing on the nature of the partnership, commitments to building the relationship, and challenges and promises in nurturing trust and attempting reciprocity. The paper describes an "equal status" internship…

Used a life history approach to examine the narratives of white, female teachers in racially diverse classrooms who were considered "aware of race and racism." Data from interviews and observations indicated that teachers' perceptions of racial awareness were influenced by: perceived identity as outsiders which enabled them to disidentify with…

Investigated the treatment of gender and gender bias in recent teacher education textbooks. Although most texts included some coverage of gender issues and the role and contribution of women, coverage was minimal and not always positive. Foundations texts provided about 7 percent of content to gender issues, and methods texts averaged about 1…

Discusses the current controversy in teacher education about whether or not there is a research base that justifies particular practices related to the preparation, certification, recruitment, retention, and entry routes of teachers, focusing on guiding metaphors for research underlying these discussions, which include: research as weapon,…

Surveyed beginning teachers regarding their views on their preparation for teaching, beliefs and practice, and plans to remain in teaching. Teachers prepared in teacher education programs felt significantly better prepared than those prepared through alternative programs or without preparation. Teachers' views of their preparation varied. The…

Challenges historical power relations, which have valued academic knowledge over teachers' experiential knowledge, asserting that such experiential knowledge should be considered legitimate; noting the need to assess knowledge produced by teachers and academics and offer apparatus for conducting such assessments; and recommending that by…

Outlines possibilities and challenges for classroom teachers considering National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification and other concerned educators synthesized from the available research and educational publications, asserting that the tension between the normalizing effects of teaching standards and national…

Examined fourth grade teachers' self-assessments of their perceptions about writing development and writing instruction. Teacher surveys indicated that teachers revealed a wide range of statements about writing instruction with fluctuating perspectives about how writing develops. There was evidence that the state curriculum and writing test…

Documented an elementary school that implemented student portfolios as port of a comprehensive school reform effort. Findings indicated that portfolios were an important mechanism through which teachers came to deeper understanding of their professional practices. Teachers began to recognize changes in classroom practice and school-wide…

A university-school correspondence partnership project was designed to enhance student teachers' multicultural awareness and understanding. This electronic mail-based project had undergraduates interact with culturally and experientially diverse students. The project provided many teachable moments, which resulted in contextualized understanding…

Responds to the Secretary of Education's 2002 report, "Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge," which asserts that states must transform certification requirements because while states' academic standards for teachers are low, barriers that keep out qualified people who have not completed collegiate teacher preparation are high. This…

Shares the insights and knowledge that one African American teacher gleaned about the historical and cultural understandings of Africa that, although sometimes unconscious to her as an African American, run through her veins and are manifested in her teaching, focusing on her work in Ghana and noting the tensions, contradictions, struggles, and…