Contends that first-year teachers and mentor teachers can each learn from the other. Describes some effective first-year/mentor teacher relationships, and gives tips for working together to new and experienced teachers. (WRM)

A group of mentor teachers recently ranked 11 competencies related to the role of mentoring a beginning teacher. Classroom management was ranked as the most important competency. An additional 24 competencies were identified and are presented with commentary. (TD)

The imminent teacher shortage in the United States has caused educators, policy makers, parents and concerned citizens to focus on teacher preparation not only at the university level, but also at the community college level. As a result, many community colleges are developing teacher education programs and focusing on real life classroom…

Master teachers working in real urban classrooms have shared their exemplary teaching practices in an After-School Pedagogical Laboratory (L-TAPL), a program for elementary students that aims to improve the achievement of urban students and the competence of their teachers. The L-TAPL enrichment program curriculum includes language arts, math,…

Many of the schools in regional and inland areas of Australia find it difficult to attract and maintain quality and experienced staff, as do some of the more difficult to teach in schools in urban areas. To help overcome these problems Tasmania has instituted a transfer policy for state school teachers, as had other Australian state systems.…

This study examines the content and nature of Maine's locally devised definitions of master teachers from three perspectives: (1) the criteria which have been proposed by 16 local committees; (2) the acceptability of such criteria to a broad cross section of Maine teachers; and (3) the comparability of what has been proposed to what appears…

Teachers' questions concerning a proposed master teacher incentive pay plan for Tennessee are stated in this address. Questions teachers raised most frequently centered around four main issues: recertification/tenure, fair evaluations, across-the-board pay raises, and promotion quotas. Summaries of teachers' discussions on each issue are presented…

This study, conducted at a laboratory school connected with the University of Pittsburgh, examined student perceptions of teaching competencies of both master teachers and intern teacher trainees. The trainees were graduate students participating in a Master of Arts in Teaching degree program. Two primary classrooms (comprised of a multi-aged…

Excellence in teaching, the reform reports tell us, depends at least partially on "professionalizing" teaching. The "new" positions of master or lead teacher are proposed as a method of improving the status of our best teachers and placing them in positions to mentor other teachers. Are these new positions any different than the "old" positions of…

Project CREDIT (Certification Renewal Experiences Designed to Improve Teaching) is a cooperative program between Indiana State University and 10 school districts in west-central Indiana. The program was initiated to assist first-year teachers with the objectives of reducing teacher dropout and improving the quality of teaching. Twenty first-year…

This policy study discusses two models of merit pay programs enacted in Florida: the Florida Meritorious Teacher Program and the Quality Instruction Incentives Program (QUIIP). Using the Motivation-Hygiene Theory (Herzberg et al.) as a theoretical framework, each program was analyzed from the perspective of how it worked as a motivator and source…

For the past three years, case studies have been conducted of a school district's implementation of the California Mentor Teacher Program. For two of the case studies, interview data of mentors and their mentees were distilled into vignettes about how mentors and teachers worked together. At the end of this project, researchers used several…

The Park City School District (Utah) career ladder design provides a system in which teachers are positioned and paid according to successful performance and differentiation of responsibilities. It includes an evaluation system to differentiate among teachers. The career ladder design presents a number of innovations; for example, excellent…

AN INCREASING NUMBER OF SPANISH PROFESSORS, ASKED TO ESTABLISH A FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT IN A NEW COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY, ARE SERIOUSLY APPRAISING THE AIMS AND FUNCTIONS OF THEIR DEPARTMENTS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN A BALANCE BUT NOT A SEPARATION BETWEEN TEACHING AND RESEARCH, BETWEEN NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKERS AND NATIVE AMERICANS WITH…