Reviews of professional literature identify characteristics of effective staff development programs and inservice activities. Purposes for staff development include: pedagogical growth and understanding and discovery of self as well as cognitive, theoretical, professional, and career development. (DF)

Current thinking about and operational examples of school-focused inservice teacher education are synthesized. The primary data sources for this report were the ideas and materials shared in case studies conducted in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. The report begins by examining how several writers have contributed to…

This study deals with the problems of teacher education programs and suggests some methods for improvement. The pressures and restrictions currently levied on the field of teacher education are discussed, and an examination is given of various education departments' admission policies and procedures. Profiles of education students and faculty…

Rapid social and demographic changes will have an impact on the future training of teachers. The emergence of an unmotivated urban student population from families who undervalue education will pose increasing problems for teachers. While teachers' knowledge of subject matter is essential, insights into the ecology of the classroom, the nature of…

This publication analyzes teacher education policy and practice with respect to teacher recruitment, induction, and continuing professional development with the intention of stimulating dialogue, debate, and collaboration among state agencies, state boards of education, teacher training institutions, legislators, and those involved in teacher…

This paper on the future of preservice teacher education examines the question of whether a crisis exists today in schools and in teacher education. It is noted that judgments vary, given different perspectives and vantage points for observation, and that a reliable assessment of the current health of schooling and teacher education is difficult.…