This research study was designed to determine the degree of use of Web 2.0 technology applications by certified education professionals and examine differences among various groups as well as reasons for these differences. A quantitative survey instrument was developed to gather demographic information and data. Participants reported they would be…

After more than 100 years of successfully practicing a traditional model of student teaching, a midwestern university recently transitioned to a new co-teaching model of student teaching. What factors contributed to the decision to implement a co-teaching model? What process was used to guide, facilitate, and implement this major change in the way…

Writing groups have been used in a variety of academic disciplines to support and encourage faculty in their scholarly endeavors. This article gives an overview of the impact a writing group within a Teacher Education department at a teaching institution had on scholarly output over a two year period. The structure of the writing group is shared…

Pre-service teachers, through early field experiences, are able to be physically involved in real classroom settings providing better preparation for future and independent work with children. This article includes suggestions and strategies for planning or reforming early field experience programs. Information related to school-university…

High quality teaching--providing children with support, feedback, and positive communication--is associated with closing the achievement gap between minority and majority children. It is important for students in teacher preparation programs to understand changes in curricular approaches to diversity--from the color-blind approach, to…

Alumni who are veteran teachers can become a valuable resource for teacher education programs in mentoring beginning teachers from the same institution. An Alumni Mentoring Guild was established through a School of Education and Office of Career Services to bring back alumni to help beginning teachers. Mentors worked with up to three beginning…

This article describes how two instructors used assessment data to improve an undergraduate course, Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary Classroom. This entailed revising the core assignment for the course--the creation of a thematic unit of instruction--and developing a scoring guide to assess teacher candidates' performance. Data collected…

Memphis established school-based decision making (SBDM) during a systemwide reform. The paper discusses teacher empowerment to make school level decisions, presenting case vignettes from Memphis to highlight differential rates of teacher involvement. It describes beginning expectations of teachers and principals, noting factors associated with…

Discusses restructuring of in-service and preservice mathematics teacher preparation, noting recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and National Research Council. The paper examines three standards for professional education: assessing students' mathematics understanding, knowing mathematics, and knowing mathematical…