This phenomenological multiple case study explored five first-year special education teachers' transfer of knowledge and skills learned in their preparation program to their professional setting and the support provided through their school system induction programming. I employed Baldwin and Ford's (1988) Model of Training Transfer and Rolfe et…

The construction of an individual educational trajectory changes due to a change in approaches to the personal and professional potential of the future teacher. Provided that the acquisition of professional skills by a teacher has not required constant training throughout life, then the modern environment requires a systematic updating of skills…

Teach For America (TFA), founded in 1989, has grown to become one of the largest providers of educators in the country for high-needs, under-resourced schools. TFA recruits high-performing college graduates and professionals and prepares them for teaching during five to seven weeks of intensive pre-service training at one of its regional or…

Across English-speaking countries, there is an ongoing shortage of foreign language teachers. Promoting the retention of foreign language teachers in the profession for the long term is one of the most strategically and financially viable ways to address this problem. This article reports on a qualitative meta-analysis study of the international…

In this article, the author provides a conceptual framework to guide the design of coursework to prepare teacher educators. Given the absence of a stronger research base to inform the preparation of novice teacher educators, the author argues that theoretical perspectives focused on K-12 preservice teacher learning can be a useful heuristic for…

This study investigates the sources of mentors' knowledge about teaching. A mixed-method research design combining quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was used to examine this area. The findings of the study suggest that: mentors' knowledge about teaching is practice orientated and emerges from their professional experiences,…

Teacher preparation has been under intense scrutiny in recent years. In order for preparation of special education teacher candidates to remain viable, candidate assessment practices must apply practices identified in the extant literature base, while special education teacher education researchers must extend this base with rigorous efforts to…

Too often, early elementary teachers enter the classroom unprepared for the particular challenges of teaching children in grades 3 and under. Many were trained in programs that focused on older elementary grades, even though their license qualifies them to teach children as young as kindergarten. Teachers who obtained their certification through a…

This paper is a reflective exploration of major challenges facing new teacher educators as they make the transition into the academy, and of ways that best support them. The transition problems identified in the emerging body of literature about teacher educator career entry were offered for comment to a small group of new teacher educators in an…

The purpose of this collective case study was to investigate the transitions of three effective teachers of literacy from pre-service to in-service teaching. As their university supervisor, I selected these students out of a group of pre-service teachers assigned to me for supervision during their eight-week student teaching requirement, based…

The transition from preservice science teacher education programs to the first years of full-time teaching is arguably one of the most critical stages in the professional development of science teachers. This report documents a longitudinal study aimed at enhancing the research base for understanding this critical stage. The research is framed as…

This issue is the second in a three-part series on quality teaching. The other two issues in the series focus on teacher recruitment and teachers' career structures and work environment. This issue examines research and expert consensus on teacher preparation, looking at: the importance of subject matter knowledge to effective teaching and…

This study investigated whether preservice teachers' self-ratings of their skills and knowledge were comparable to the ratings of the same set of skills by their closets faculty members, in this case, their assigned mentor leaders. The participants were eight cohorts of students receiving their initial teacher certification and about to graduate.…

This booklet discusses what teachers may encounter in their first year of teaching, presenting information from teachers themselves. Information comes mainly from a series of discussions held among winners of the First Class Teachers Award sponsored every year by Sallie Mae, a corporation dedicated to education. Focus group discussions with…

Describes Alberta, Canada's Initiation to Teaching Project, which addressed beginning teachers' inadequate practical skills, eased the transition to full-time professional work, and reduced teacher unemployment and underemployment. Project evaluation revealed that most participants considered it a valuable induction scheme that resulted in…