This study investigates the social studies teaching practices of sixty-seven elementary teachers who are part of an alternative master's degree program in New York City. The respondents' program emphasizes constructivist and inquiry based teaching practices in its social studies methods courses. The findings are from an exit survey that was…

This report presents information from discussions by the Institute for Educational Leadership Task Force on Teacher Leadership, highlighting dilemmas surrounding teacher leadership and suggesting that education's policymakers should exploit the experience and capacity to lead today's schoolteachers. Overall, the system has not been organized to…

This paper discusses the use of paraprofessionals in the classroom. Section 1 examines the present situation, framing issues confronting the field with regard to training and utilization of paraprofessionals. It focuses on: distinctions in the roles and responsibilities of teachers and paraprofessionals; an analysis of duties performed by…

This report provides information on degree and certificate programs offered and student program completions for fiscal year 2001-2002 in North Dakota's public and private postsecondary education institutions. Institutional programs are coded in accordance with the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP Code) system provided by the National…

This report provides policymakers with detailed information on the characteristics of California's teachers. Information comes from state-collected teacher workforce data and a series of case studies conducted in schools and districts statewide in 2000 and 2001. Overall, low achieving, poor, and minority students are much more likely to have…

This report looks at and identifies emerging trends in the roles that teacher unions play in educational reform and improving the quality of teaching. A description of the efforts of six teacher unions to improve teacher quality within the context of the current systemic reform movement shows a range and depth of union initiatives beyond what is…

Passing scores for licensure and certification tests are justified by showing that decisions based on the passing score achieve the purposes of the credentialing program while avoiding any serious negative consequences. The passing score is justified to the extent decisions based on it have positive consequences. More specifically, the standard…

This study surveyed directors of licensed and license-exempt early childhood programs in Illinois. Participating were 840 directors who responded to a mailed survey sent to 2,325 directors. Respondents were predominantly white (89 percent), with directors of color representing 11 percent of the sample. Results indicated that the majority of…

A summary of a report on the value of the General Educational Development (GED) Tests prepared in 1994 for Congressional hearings on the reauthorization of vocational and adult education legislation includes the following highlights: (1) each year more than 750,000 adults (average age 26) take the GED tests and about 450,000 adults obtain high…

This publication of the Iowa State School Workers' Association is dedicated to the enhancement of social work practice in schools. Within the social work profession, school social workers may find themselves on the cutting edge and forefront of issues affecting students. The articles in these journals attempt to provide comprehensive knowledge…

This paper provides a lens through which to view the significant teacher shortage dilemma that affects schools and communities in United States and in the Pacific region. Part 1, "A Critical Perspective," examines challenges facing teacher education, recruitment, and quality in the United States, noting alternative pathways to teacher…

This paper describes the efforts of the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University, Virginia, to deal with the teacher shortage crisis by partnering with surrounding school divisions to help new teachers with provisional licenses meet the daily challenge of teaching while fulfilling their state licensure requirements. The Teacher…

The number of school students undertaking vocational education and training (VET) in Australia's publicly funded VET sector has grown rapidly in the last 5 years. It is estimated that in 1998, at least 80,000 secondary school students were also studying within Australia's publicly funded VET sector. The vast majority (88%) of these students are…

Currently at least 5 million children--some estimates are as high as 15 million--are left unsupervised before or after school for 3 or more hours a day. In response to the problems of these latchkey children, many public schools are now developing some form of school-based or school-related before- and after-school child care programs. The purpose…

This study stems from and builds upon an earlier project that involved aspiring school counselors and school leaders in a cross-discipline project to learn about the differing roles, legal, philosophical and ethical expectations for each group, and approaches to collaboration. During this earlier project, a series of seminars was held to engage…