Generalizations about problems and solutions facing teacher education are often oversimplified and misleading. Examinations of teacher supply and demand and teacher ability should consider local demand and content-area need. Teachers with content-area certification have stronger academic profiles than those with general certification. Raising…

More people are participating in adventure programs than ever before. Consequently, the natural resources that support these activities are being compromised, resulting in greater restrictions on land and water use, and implementation of user fees. Trends towards artificial adventure environments, certification and accreditation, litigation and…

California's potential teacher shortage has resulted in an alternative-certification teaching internship that recruits from other professions. Significant portions of the instruction is on-the-job, with teachers salaried and consistently supported as they learn to teach. This paper explains the purposes of teaching internships, components of such…

Describes Kentucky's Alternative Training Program for the Preparation of Candidates for Initial Certification, presenting the story of one individual who made a career change to teaching after 15 years as a broadcast journalist. The paper discusses state guidelines, the mentor teacher, the school district alternative training program, the…

Reviews research on characteristics of quality teachers, methods for improving teacher quality, and student and teacher behaviors that are indicators of teacher quality. Draws implications for principal hiring and mentoring practices. (Contains 30 references.) (PKP)

Public awareness of health, fitness, and exercise has increased and the fitness industry has expanded in recent years. Yet, ironically, the health of our nation continues to deteriorate. Now more than ever there is the need for qualified fitness professionals to help individuals to improve or maintain health and fitness. Since fitness…

An essential administrative responsibility accorded to state and district-level education leaders is the task of planning for staffing needs, including the recruitment of competent leaders to fill principal vacancies. Here, Winter et al develop empirical measures to allow state departments of education and school districts to assess their…

Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of injury and death among adolescents 16 to 19 years of age. Three areas of countermeasures for decreasing young driver risk are driver education, licensing policies, and parental management. Driver education is an essential part of teaching adolescents the rules of the road and operating a…

Recent teacher shortages have led teacher preparation programs to more actively recruit postbaccalaureate students into teaching. The purpose of this exploratory study was to gain useful recruitment information by investigating why postbaccalaureate students are interested in teaching as a new career. A survey was constructed based on interview…

This article examines definitions of "highly qualified" teachers posed by the federal government, the American public, the professionalization agenda in teacher education, and the deregulation movement in teacher education. It focuses on one university's definition in practice: the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. I describe…

Middle level experts agree on the need for specialized teacher preparation and are continually advocating for all states to require a middle grades teaching certificate. Research on the effectiveness of the middle grades programs on teaching continues to show positive results. This article focuses on how Berry College redesigned the teacher…

Teacher tenure is a hotly contested concept in today's' school reform battles. Many discussions of tenure, however, use the term in incorrect ways that add little to the concepts that should be debated. Historically, tenure represents due process rights teachers acquire after several years of successful service. Other procedures, such as teacher…

In response to shortages of science and mathematics teachers in the U.S., many states have promoted alternative routes to certification in which individuals with non-education undergraduate degrees can become certificated in shorter timeframes than in traditional programs. One consideration in designing alternative programs is how to arrange…

The graduate of the Welder apprenticeship program is a certified journeyperson who will be able to: (1) be skillful in the fusing of metals using prescribed welding applications; (2) have a working knowledge of the welding equipment involved with the various welding procedures; (3) comprehend drawings and develop layout patterns for projects and…

The graduate of the Wire Process Operator apprenticeship program is a certified journeyperson who will be able to: (1) be skillful in the fusing of metals using prescribed welding applications; (2) have a working knowledge of the welding equipment involved with the various welding procedures; (3) comprehend drawings; (4) have a thorough knowledge…