The Professional Development School (PDS) literature is filled with the stuff of good storytelling--archetypes of an ancient profession, struggles of marginalized individuals against powerful structures, personal triumphs, and devotion to a quest. However, much of the writing about PDS experiences that could be considered storytelling tends to…

This study explores the impact of an alternative teacher preparation program development from the "inside out" or through the voices of second career teachers, known as "Career Switchers," at a mid-size state university. The major objective of this study was to probe into their perceptions to inform program development with reporting framed in…

Several years ago the authors, a professor from The Netherlands and another professor from the United States, met over coffee and discussions about teacher education at an international conference. With mutual interests in the role of teacher educators' development of their professional identity, the authors developed an intellectual relationship…

Throughout the literature, teacher education is often described as being based on a specific tradition, paradigm, or agenda. Examples of these descriptions include: behavioristic, personalistic, inquiry-oriented, social reconstructionist, academic, developmentalist, and social-efficiency. These approaches are closely linked to the "beliefs and…

Over the previous two decades the emergence of post-modernist thought (i.e., radical constructivism, social constructivism, deconstructivism, post-structuralism, and the like) on the American intellectual landscape has presented a number of challenges to various fields of intellectual endeavor (i.e., literature, natural science, and social…

The literature indicates that caring is beneficial to children both academically and socially. As teacher educators, then, one of their goals should be to create curricula and preparation programs that engender in preservice teachers an understanding of the pedagogical power of caring and a commitment to implementing care-centered teaching…

Three components of excellent middle grades teacher preparation programs include foundations (a broad liberal education and the knowledge base upon which the teaching profession rests), teaching fields (depth beyond the basics in some areas of academic inquiry), and middle grades specialization (experiences specific to learning to function…

Current research on teacher clarity as an attribute of effective teaching is reviewed. An example of a clear teacher is given. Implications for teacher education are drawn. (MT)

The author argues that findings of research in humanistic education should be treated as a vital element in teacher education. Humanistic educational practices in which high levels of empathy, congruence, and positive self regard are present will most certainly reduce, if not alleviate, many of the major problems facing education. (MT)

Research on teaching techniques, perspectives on teaching, and academic subject matter are reviewed and offered as a framework for a new teacher education curriculum. (MT)

The 1975 California Commission for Reform of Intermediate and Secondary Education (RISE) report and the 1983 National Commission on Excellence in Education report (A Nation at Risk) demonstrate the polarized nature of secondary education reform. Reformers should look at the broader views of Ernest L. Boyer and Theodore Sizer to avoid this…

This article analyzes the findings on critical thinking in six major national reports on the status of education and the subsequent implications for teacher preparation. This information suggests that critical thinking is an essential component of an effective teacher education program. (MT)

An analysis of current efforts underway to assess higher education student outcomes points out three potential problem areas (negative impact on curriculum and instruction; easily undermined assessment; correlation between assessment and instructional improvement) and suggests approaches to ameliorate these difficulties. (CB)

In Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a school principal's decision to delete several stories from the school newspaper. However, the ruling failed to adequately address two related areas involving what constitutes school-sponsored speech and how broadly could schools regulate that speech. (CB)

Issues that dominate debate about teacher education--teacher supply and demand, quality of college programs, and academic standards--may not be at the heart of the problem. The author argues for extended teacher education programs and increased public support for teacher salaries and college programs. (PP)