This survey study examined 164 in-service special education teachers' perceptions of training strategies in their cross categorical teacher preparation program in the United Sates for developing knowledge and skills in systematic instruction, an evidence-based practice for students with extensive support needs. Both classroom-based and field-based…

Ohio recognizes that high-quality teachers come from high-quality teacher preparation programs. To help improve the quality of educator preparation programs in Ohio, H.B. 1 of the 128th General Assembly directed the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education to develop a system for evaluating Ohio's educator preparation programs (ORC…

In this policy brief we examine the initial licensure process of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and classify each licensure process as traditional, transitional, or transformative, based on criteria suggested by a panel of expert practitioners and university faculty from the field of educational leadership. The expert panel…

Special education teacher preparation programs must ensure that their program requirements sufficiently prepare preservice teachers to become high-quality special education teachers. The purpose of the present study was to address a void in available literature by examining the challenges that special education teacher educators encounter while…

For the past six years, California has been revising its preparation system for school and district administrators, including developing the California Administrator Performance Assessment (CalAPA), the first required performance assessment for preliminary administrator certification. In this study, researchers from the California Comprehensive…

Opportunities for K-12 students to choose virtual and blended learning experiences continue to grow. All 50 states including Washington, D.C., now offer some virtual experience in K-12 education. Of these, 40 states have state virtual schools or state-led online learning initiatives. In addition, federal and state support for this type of learning…

The increased attention given to the implementation of personnel preparation programs in the field of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has directly paralleled the significant increase in the number of students identified with ASD. For this study, we sought to analyze key aspects of programs for professionals who work with students with ASD. In…

In this paper, we address the shortage of behavior analysts serving rural communities and outline a model of service delivery for rural students with autism spectrum disorders. The model involves the use of pre-service behavior analysts to provide behavioral intervention to students with ASD in exchange for district-supported training and…

International and intercultural learning requires flexibility, openness, and a willingness to adjust--on the part of the school as well as the student. Yet in social work, as in other professions requiring licensure and preparing professionals to work with vulnerable populations, flexibility is not simply a matter of convincing a department head…

The author reports the finding of a study released by the National Research Council, which is an arm of the National Academies, a scientific body created to advise the federal government on scientific matters. After six years of study, a national panel of prominent scholars has concluded that teachers from alternative programs appear no worse--or…

The Accelerate Online/OPTIONS alternative certification program provides those possessing a degree an option leading to certification that can be completed in 18 months. The program consists of an online curriculum, an early field experience and a year-long paid internship. To determine program effectiveness across five years, five benchmark…

This study examined California's efforts to foster preservice preparation of early intervention assistants through a certificate program offered by community colleges, the Community College Personnel Preparation Project. Community colleges enrolled in the project must meet a series of requirements, including infusing early intervention assistant…

In response to ongoing needs for improved preservice field experiences for prospective administrators, more stringent state certification standards, and technical support for practitioners, mutually beneficial alliances are being formed between universities and local schools. This paper describes part of a continuing University Council for…

The State of New Jersey's certification requirements mandate that school librarian professional preparation should include an internship program. Trenton State College offers such a program but lacks a formal policy manual outlining the necessary requirements and procedures. This study surveyed the current policies in the Department of Media…

In discussing the role of practical experience (be it called clinical experience, field experience, an internship, simulation, or role-playing) in the preparation of educational administrators, the authors present survey data and an example of institutional requirements. The survey data include information on state standards concerning the…