This Special Report -- drawing on insights from a technical working group of experts in arts education, state data systems and state policy -- offers guidance on key arts-education metrics many states could track by using data they already collect.

The well known 1983 report "A Nation at Risk" recommended that individuals preparing to teach should meet high education standards and demonstrate an aptitude for teaching and competence in an academic discipline--adding also that college and university teacher preparation programs should be judged by how well their graduates meet these…

According to the Jump$tart Coalition, Oklahoma is one of 24 states to adopt financial education requirements for students (Jump$tart Coalition, 2010). The Passport to Financial Literacy Act of 2007, Oklahoma House Bill 1476, requires Oklahoma students in grades 7 through 12 to fulfill established financial literacy requirements to graduate with a…

This document discusses New Jersey's alternate route to teacher certification, formerly called the Provisional Teacher Program, that enables school districts and nonpublic schools to employ non-education major college graduates as teachers. The program is now in its third year of operation. Part I of this report addresses program growth from…

In North Carolina, businesspeople and legislators are concerned that students are inadequately informed about the free enterprise system. State law requires instruction in economics and businesses have provided educational support, but teachers and superintendents must become convinced that economics education is important before a comprehensive…

The community of child care providers in New Hampshire has adopted the Early Childhood Professional Development System as an initial step toward assuring quality care and education for children. This guide describes the components of that system and is presented in eight sections. Section 1 of the guide introduces the system based on a set of two…

In an effort to explain the Staff Accountability Plan for New Mexico's schools, two pamphlets were developed. Designed to address the issue of teacher accountability and certification, pamphlet 1 presents the three provisions of the New Mexico Staff Accountability Plan. The plan requires: (1) a written basic skills assessment as part of teacher…

The objective of the project was to identify and reach a consensus about common core competencies deemed necessary to all vocational teachers, with the goal of developing a strategy for the implementation of competency-based teacher education in Nebraska. A random sample of vocational educators selected a list of vocational education teacher…

A three-year Florida project to develop subject area certification examinations in foreign languages is reported. The project was carried out by teachers at each stage: research, writing, validation, pilot-testing, editing, and scoring. The teacher-developed certification test development project is seen as a model for other states. (four…

A Southern Regional Education Board study has revealed widespread lack of proper training and certification for teachers at the middle school level in the South. A major recommendation is that states require teachers of middle-grade students to have special licensure. Some efforts in statewide testing and accreditation are targeting such problems.…

A significant research base supports the positive benefits of quality early care and education (ECE) for later developmental and academic outcomes. Noting that many ECE settings are of mediocre quality and that quality of care is related to teacher/caregiver qualifications, this working paper examines states initiatives to improve the…

Based on 18 months of extensive research and study, the New Mexico State Department of Education developed the Staff Accountability Plan to address the issue of teacher accountability and certification. This plan, which consists of three provisions, came into existence as a result of concern expressed by the general public, legislators, and…

Many states are adopting alternative certification programs as a nontraditional means of preparing educational personnel and for admitting into the profession people with degrees in other fields who do not have teacher preparation. This paper clarifies the term alternative certification and establishes a definition for programs. Various…

Despite rising demand for high-quality child care, the norm for early childhood staff is low salaries, few benefits, and difficult working conditions. This article provides an overview of compensation of early childhood professionals, and describes some state and local initiatives that address the need for funding and policies that support a…

This paper presents a review of theory and research dealing with alternative teacher certification policy. It begins by examining the context for alternative teacher certification through the lens of Human Capital Theory. It defines alternative certification and describes the history and present status of alternative certification policies. The…