The last 20 years of federal legislation have seen a growth in the requirement that evidence-based practices be used to ensure improved student outcomes. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) and No Child Left Behind (2001) each require educators to research, develop, and implement new practices aimed at meeting this expectation.…

High-quality literacy teacher preparation is critical for K-12 student success and an important topic. Teacher educators must develop instructional capacity and competence among preservice teachers, and the current study sought to discover how literacy teacher educators promoted understandings with curriculum, instructional approaches, and…

Determining what to include in higher education courses can be complex. In teacher preparation, methods courses include both content and pedagogy instruction. Teacher educators often struggle to determine how to balance these aspects. Thus, this study examined the influences on teacher educators' instructional decision making. We focused on…

A quality teacher education program is rational and streamlined to address specific pedagogical issues. It elucidates the ideas about what constitutes good teaching and the content and scope of course work and practical experiences. Teacher education courses are very much connected to practice as well as theory. High quality teacher training…

Universities typically use one-day-a-week practicum experiences for novice preservice teachers, but in this pilot program they were placed with 20 cooperating teachers in elementary classrooms for five consecutive weeks. This article explores the impact of extended and early practicum experiences. Findings suggest the cooperating teachers had…

Teachers leave the profession for reasons including lack of teacher preparation and inadequate mentorship. To better support candidates in the final stages of teacher preparation, a Pennsylvania state university partnership led a process to implement supports to enhance the mentoring process during teacher candidate's final field experience. This…

This paper discusses the importance of field-based experiences in the preparation of teacher candidates. The author cites the research and experienced opinions of experts in the field of teacher preparation. Included in this discussion of the importance of field-based experiences is the ability of teacher candidates to link theory to practice,…

As technological advances continue to influence the methods by which we communicate, manage information, and entertain ourselves, educators must keep pace with these changes by integrating technology when it supports content delivery and enhances student learning. There is considerable potential for technology use across all content areas, but it…