This report examines the expanding role of community colleges, the emerging credentialing system, and the changes in the economy that have increased the value of credentials. While business has come to rely on higher education degrees to signify general skills, employers increasingly look for performance-based certifications as indications of more…

This discussion paper addresses the impact of major trends in certification and credentialing on community colleges. Most community colleges are familiar with traditional credentialing and certification. However, changes in the number of people seeking higher education as a means to a better economic future and the shifting skill requirements of…

This report provides information on degree and certification programs offered and student program completions for fiscal year 1999-00 in North Dakota public and private postsecondary educational institutions. Institutional programs are coded in accordance with the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code system provided by the National…

A study was conducted on the performance of black students from a historically black university (HBU) as well as examinations used for teacher certification in Mississippi. Of specific concern for this paper was the success of black students in successfully completing the NTE/PRAXIS Examinations. Its scope began with the NTE examinations and…

Research suggests that teacher quality is the single most important factor in determining student achievement and that the impact of a teacher is cumulative. Students with less exposure to qualified teachers are far less likely to achieve academic success than students with more exposure. Research also shows that teachers majoring in the subject…

The Pathways to Teaching Careers Program was evaluated over the course of 6 years. The program worked with colleges and universities to develop effective strategies for recruiting and preparing teachers to complete all requirements for teacher certification leading to full-time jobs. Partnerships between the universities and local school districts…

This study examined the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process, investigating 65 white and African American teachers from North Carolina, Ohio, and the District of Columbia who had sought National Board certification in one of two areas--early adolescence/English language Arts and middle…

This report provides a descriptive analysis of the degree and certificate programs in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD). In 2002, nearly 4,000 associate degrees were awarded by the three community colleges in the district. The associate degree program has a 60-unit requirement and includes both the associate in arts and the…

In 2001, Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act, requiring all core subject area teachers to be highly qualified by 2005-06 and provided funding to help states and districts meet the requirement. This report examines the number of teachers who met the highly qualified teacher criteria during 2002-03, conditions hindering states' and…

This article examines how novice teachers in Japan and in the United States, specifically in the state of Ohio, are assessed, evaluated, and supported as they enter the teaching profession. Comparison of practices and tools which characterize the two countries' approaches toward assessment and mentoring reveals that important differences exist in…

This paper discusses the value of action research in professional learning, presenting political and practical questions from the work of a primary school teacher who conducted action research on literacy with at-risk students and an intermediate school teacher, now a program officer at the Ontario College of Teachers who is helping create…

The decision to establish equivalencies between vocational training diplomas in France and Germany is a legal act subject to publication in the official gazettes of both countries. The procedure for establishing the equivalence and forms of implementation is defined in arrangements adopted by the committee of Franco-German experts in application…

The comprehensive review of Nevada's Competency Testing Program for Educational Personnel grew out of a study which followed a cohort of new teachers over 2 years to determine their test-taking experiences. Results suggested a need to investigate the program and its scope, implementation problems, and relation to other educational entities such as…

Since 1991, charter schools of widely varying types and structure have spread to 1600 schools nationwide. A federal study suggests charter schools, compared with other public schools, are smaller, have a similar racial composition, and serve on average slightly fewer students with disabilities, an equal percentage with limited English proficiency,…

This paper identifies existing and potential measures of teacher qualifications as a single aspect of teacher quality, emphasizing their underlying rationale, ways to use them, and availability and quality of data collected from various sources. It categorizes types of teacher qualification measures, discusses data sources, and notes availability…