To meet the demands of living and working in the 21st century, it is critical that every P-12 student in every classroom have an effective teacher. Yet, each year, thousands of new teachers enter the field unprepared to meet the challenges of today's classroom. Recent federal policies such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have made…

With the current pressures on teachers to increase academic achievement for all students, high-quality teacher training is more important than ever. Elementary teachers are faced with high expectations for their students to achieve literacy proficiency, and these expectations became law with the No Child Left Behind Act. With or without this…

National reports (e.g., A Nation at Risk) and legislation (e.g., No Child Left Behind) call for improved teacher preparation. One area of concern relates to inadequate preparation of teachers for the reality of the classroom. We were interested in determining the role of practicum experiences in special education teacher preparation. Surveys were…