Conventional wisdom has suggested that increasing the knowledge and skills of teachers through professional development is the primary way to improve schools and student outcomes. Given the massive monetary spending and time devoted to teacher professional development, it is important to understand how this mechanism of change is impacting…

This study investigated how novice teachers in urban schools manage the transition from preparation to practice. Through the lens of teacher efficacy, the research presented herein was built around two groups of guiding questions: (1) Do novice teachers in at-risk urban schools feel adequately prepared to effectively perform the task of teaching?…

This quantitative study used the Schools and Staffing Survey of 2007-2008, a school-based stratified probability-proportionate-to-size sample of all American schools, to explore the relationships of professional development to teachers' self- and collective efficacy by school accountability status as measured by adequate yearly progress (AYP). In…

In the United States, about one third of new teachers being hired are drawn from alternative certification programs. One way to address controversy about the differences among the training experiences of teachers in traditional certification programs, fast-track alternative programs, and residency alternative programs is to examine teacher reports…