The US student population is increasing; consequently, 50,000 additional teachers will be needed within the next ten years. Overcrowded teacher education programs in traditional universities cannot guarantee the availability of necessary classes, however, and students desiring a teaching credential anticipate an extended time frame for credential…

This study explores urban teachers' perception of their mentoring experience in an alternative urban teacher education program. Fifteen teachers who had been teaching in urban schools for at least three years participated in focus groups. The findings support the need for continuing the development of new teachers through utilizing mentors in the…

Alternative teacher certification (ATC) programs offer one method to help alleviate teacher shortages. While much debate has arisen over ATC programs, very few have empirically examined their impact on the teaching pool. The present study was designed to explore differences by certification type and program characteristics based on novice…

This study compared undergraduate and graduate student teachers' and alternate route teachers' sense of efficacy and views of their teacher preparation programs. A one-way analysis of variance indicated that student teachers in the undergraduate program had higher teacher efficacy than the other two groups of teachers. Alternate route teachers and…

This study was designed to describe effective ways to address cultural competency in the education of early childhood teachers in a graduate-level alternative preparation program. The study's 2 major questions were as follows: Can a 15-month graduate-level intensive alternative licensure program's coursework and field experiences provide students…

This paper presents statistics which show that states in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) area lead the nation in teachers with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification. North Carolina, Florida, and South Carolina lead the nation in total number of NBPTS certified teachers. In the 2001-02 school year, 71…

This study investigated California teachers' attitudes about National Board certification. Data came from focus groups with and a 2001 survey of National Board certified teachers. Overall, teachers believed that the certification process made them better teachers and that it boosted their self-confidence. Most considered it excellent or good…

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation aims to achieve the national goal of ensuring that every child meets rigorous standards of academic achievement. In particular, California is challenged to meet the NCLB requirement that by 2005-2006, all teachers be "highly qualified," meaning they must have a bachelor's degree,…

A survey of 42 state supervisors regarding technology teacher education found that supply was not matching demand, forcing consideration of alternative teacher licensure methods. Models included suitable background, graduate degree, strand licensure, military career transition, add-on, and life experience/examination. (JOW)

Examined three alternative routes to secondary teacher education in the Netherlands: the reentry or refresher course route; side-entry route for unemployed people with college degrees; and side-entry route for employed artisans. Data from interviews with employment consultants, teacher educators, mentors, and school administrators indicated that…

Reviews past attempts to restructure U.S. education, effects of competency-based education, and the role of teacher certification. Considers the impact of federal legislation concerning certification. (SK)

The Texas alternative certification program combines school district-provided training with some college coursework, emphasizing work with at-risk students and internship under a mentor. Many midcareer professionals and minorities have chose this route. (SK)

The Houston Independent School District's Alternative Certification Program has four essential components: screening, training, supervision, and support. Research findings show that it is at least as effective as traditional teacher education. (SK)

The need for special education teachers from culturally and/or linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds has become a national concern. The majority of school districts nationwide list the recruitment and retention of teachers from diverse backgrounds as a priority. Many cite difficulties with finding adequate personnel, a problem that is…

The purpose of this article is to determine how urban school districts, urban schools and urban educational leaders have planned for and implemented into practice induction programs for alternatively certified novice teachers, which will include a E-Mentor, E-Mentoring, and mentoring in response to state policy on new teacher training. The topic…