A primary goal of teacher education programs is to equip teacher candidates with the necessary skills to navigate the social and cultural realities and complexities of the classroom while seamlessly integrating theory and practice. As our classrooms become more socially, economically, and culturally diverse it is important for teachers to evolve…

Teacher education in universities is under pressure. In many new education policies there is a renewed focus on teacher quality, and therefore quality initial teacher education. In some countries this renewed focus has led to a resurgence of "alternative approaches" to teacher education such as Teach for America / Australia. One of the…

Cooperative research was used in revising and strengthening core courses in a teacher education program. Feedback was used to provide suggestions for more appropriate and relevant knowledge to be presented at the preservice level. In the course of initial research first-year teachers were asked to help identify areas in their teacher education…

The purpose of this journal, addressed specifically to educators, is to describe, introduce, or translate results of research and development work funded by the National Institute of Education. The first article examines two secondary schools that are undertaking comprehensive efforts to improve their practices with help from the Wisconsin…

In late 1987, the Holmes Group called for member institutions to report on their first year of progress in educational reform. These reports serve as an early benchmark for the work in progress around the country. Readers of the 71 reports received prepared analytic memos summarizing their observations; these memos serve as a principal basis for…

Noting recent state legislation (HB 1706) in Oklahoma that is focused on the improvement of teacher preparation programs at the university level, this paper details the implementation of such improvements at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. The first section of the paper considers requirements for improved classroom preparation in both…

The project described in this report was conducted at Temple University (Pennsylvania) to design a collegial process and the necessary instructional materials to enable the practicing vocational educator to engage in professional development with a commitment to a formative approach. The project attempted to bring inservice vocational teacher…

A report on implementation of the Multicultural Reading and Thinking (McRAT) Program in Arkansas from 1989-92 chronicles the program's development, operation, and results. McRAT is a staff development program designed to help teachers infuse higher order thinking processes and multicultural concepts into regular classroom curricula (grades 3 to…

This book provides the latest research on physical education curriculum, teaching, and teacher education and shows physical educators how to apply this knowledge to their day-to-day practices. There are 19 chapters in five parts. Part 1, "Overview of the Field," includes (1) "Enhancing Learning: An Introduction" (Stephen J. Silverman and Catherine…