If we were incapable of establishing a legitimate place for counselors, then our efforts to insure a place for others through career counseling would be folly. We are capable and we have the resources. We only need to educate ourselves and to act responsibly through our professional associations. (Author)

Several years ago, New York State created a new school business administrator certification program for private-sector business administrators who wanted to switch careers. Interviews with about 20 New York Association of School Business Officials (ASBO)/former business executives showed most brought superior finance and budgetary skills to their…

A history of the development of standards for gifted education personnel preparation at the graduate level is presented, including the role of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Symposia to develop professional standards for graduate programs in gifted education are described, as is their relationship to the standards of the…

New computers often collect dust in the classroom. Too much technology planning concentrates on hardware and software, to the detriment of staff development. An Arizona principal developed a successful inservice plan for teachers involving basic training, intensive small-group training sessions, and creation of certified resident experts in…

Explains certification in library media by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Topics include candidate qualifications, including at least three years of experience; links between the media specialist, library media standards, accomplishments, and student achievement; assessments, including portfolio development; scheduling for…

Responds to the Secretary of Education's 2002 report, "Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge," which asserts that states must transform certification requirements because while states' academic standards for teachers are low, barriers that keep out qualified people who have not completed collegiate teacher preparation are high.…

This article highlights current thinking and practice regarding the use of student portfolios to document performance of authentic teaching tasks in undergraduate special education teacher education programs. It describes ways to use portfolios for student and program assessment and includes suggestions for overcoming the subjectivity associated…

Discusses how librarians in the new role of "informationist" can help doctors and researches of medical information. Describes existing models of the informationist; potential benefits of working across professional boundaries outside the library; professional requirements; and unresolved issues for the new role, including potential…

A survey of 222 educational sign language interpreters from K-12 public school systems found a lack of certification and adequate training for the majority of respondents and an underrepresentation of males and interpreters from minority groups. Recommendations for providing educational programs and services for students with hearing impairments…

The (British) Adventure Activities Licensing Authority ensures that adventure activities are run by competent people who follow good practices. Discusses how the technical competence of technical advisors is determined, and how their role varies in different situations. Legal responsibility remains with the provider, who must ensure that someone…

Self-regulation of agencies administering professional licensing and certification tests is questioned on social and legal grounds. Topics include test validity concerns of applicants, extension of "truth in testing" legislation, explicitness of standards, and whether construct validity should be the primary requirement for selecting a…

Implications of court interpretations of job analysis as a basis for testing are assessed for teacher certification tests. Cases reviewed address the 1978 "Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures," the fourteenth amendment, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and content validity issues. (TJH)

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…

The objectives of this study were to identify learning formats, and quantify the amount of continuing education by which pharmacists selected from the extensive array available as reported to the Michigan Board of Pharmacy upon audit. About 80 percent of respondents (N=52) used correspondence instruction to some degree. (Author/MLW)

The myth that teaching is a science has been perpetuated to justify the continued existence of distinct colleges of education. This myth and resulting teacher certification requirements have discouraged those with graduate degrees from becoming teachers and deprived our children of highly qualified teachers. (SV)