This article shares the results of a study that explored the need, and consequential birth, of a new teacher support group for newly graduated elementary education majors. Constructed of a university supervisor and five newly graduated novice teacher's, this study examines their first semester as classroom teachers. Research related to the…

This exploratory study describes a teacher educator's efforts to organize her instructional practice around an assessment portfolio mandated by the state and examines the effectiveness of such endeavor. Findings revealed that, when a link between teaching and the required assessment portfolio was created, students' self-efficacy and performance in…

Urban schools have the greatest need for renewal of existing staff and the infusion of new teachers. Unfortunately, they present a challenging environment in which to prepare teachers while fostering the renewal process in experienced teachers. Goodlad (1994) proposes that both the school and university embark upon this renewal process through…

As mandates regarding the education of our youth intensify in complexity, educators are forced to face issues that are fundamental in the development of our educational productivity. No Child Left Behind legislation has required all parties with a vested interest in the security of our educational efficiency to secure a variety of viable methods…

Teacher preparation requires exemplary teaching that illustrates the systematic reflection encouraged among preservice teachers. This article provides an investigation of an innovative model for integrating action research into a preservice teacher education program. Through a self-study, one teacher educator presents reflections on action…

Describes schema representation, an authentic summative assessment tool for assessing preservice teachers' mental models for teaching. Schema representations require students to integrate and synthesize what they have learned in class and create a representation of how they plan to use their new knowledge in the classroom. They elaborate on the…

Describes an urban school-university partnership that explored how teams of teacher educators and inservice and preservice teachers developed curriculum supporting their own and their students' work-based learning experiences, presenting: study methodology, scholarship that previously addressed school- university work in urban partnerships,…

Identified curricular and instructional practices within schools whose students exceeded the state passing average for Language Arts on the Alabama High School Graduation Examination, even though student population were predominantly high risk. Teacher and administrator data indicated that teachers' years of experience, certification levels, and…

Identified the effects of reform initiatives on teaching, assessment, and homework practices. Surveys of teachers involved in reform projects indicated that reform significantly related to teaching approach, which mediated between reform and assessment and homework practices. There were significant links between grade level taught and homework…

Examined a new model of teacher efficacy that proposed to more clearly define important variables and integrate two theoretical traditions. Task analysis and both global and context specific efficacy were measured in emergency certification teachers. Results indicated mixed support for the model with an observed need for measurement precision of…

Describes how one high school teacher's conceptions changed over 2 years as he implemented an innovative curricular approach to mathematical functions. Interview and observation data indicated that he developed new pedagogical content conceptions based on his classroom experiences with the innovation. Results illustrate what it means for teacher…

Investigated the nature of pedagogical expertise, comparing responses of novice and expert teachers as they observed, responded to, and planned a lesson. Participants thought aloud while viewing a videotaped lesson, then discussed their thinking. While they arrived at many similar ideas and conclusions in their thinking and planning, qualitative…

Investigated middle school mathematics teachers' reports of the effectiveness of various professional development activities influencing their attention to students' thinking. Teacher surveys indicated that teachers' years of experience, views of learning, and mathematics background correlated with their ratings of various activities. (SM)

Examined the impact of a reflective, research oriented internship program on the development of preservice teachers' classroom management beliefs. Survey data indicated that program participation impacted both personal and general efficacy as well as beliefs about classroom management style. There were significant gender differences in…

To address concerns that cooperating teachers are increasingly reluctant to relinquish control of their classrooms and curriculum decisions to student teachers, the senior internship program at one university was redesigned. The new model optimizes teacher-student interaction by following a teaming approach during the internship. The teaming model…