It is well known that the number of community college students who complete an Associate's degree or even a certificate program is low. Among those who begin an Associate's degree program, fewer that 50% have earned their degree or are still enrolled after 5 years. For nontraditional students, the rates are even lower. For minorities, low income…

A study identified and compared characteristics of enlisted soldiers who participated in postsecondary educational offerings to those who did not and identified barriers to participation for participants and nonparticipants. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 92 soldiers at one Army installation. Nonparticipants named these…

This paper describes 10 factors that impact misguided perceptions of teacher preparation and teacher quality, especially elementary teachers prepared in highly-structured, university-based teacher preparation programs: (1) the offshoot of P-12 preparation, prior to attending postsecondary programs; (2) alignment of certification tests to state…

The eight issues for volume 6 of the "CEC Today," a newsletter exclusively for members of the Council for Exceptional Children, include the following featured articles: (1) "How To Set up a Classroom on a Tight Budget"; (2) "Survival Tips for First-Year Teachers"; (3) Get the Training You Need To Stay Ahead of the…

This report describes credentialing activities that seek to establish standards and promote professional development in the youth development field. Part 1, Federal and State Legislative Activities, focuses on: legislation promoting youth development activities and programs; welfare reform and the need for youth development and after-school…

This paper addresses two elements of teacher education in the United Kingdom (UK): open learning partnerships and the use of new technologies to develop a model of preservice education and training. The Open University Postgraduate Certificate in Education (OU PGCE) is a part-time course emphasizing standards in teaching and involving partnerships…

During the 1990s, policymakers have become increasingly attentive to the relationship between education and national economic health and society's need to upgrade and equalize workforce skills, talent, and wages. The U.S. education and training system is fragmented, decentralized, and in flux, as more responsibility moves from federal to state…

This publication describes the new legal guidelines for teacher education and licensure in Ohio. The new standards ensure that only those teachers who can perform the work will do the work. The standards emphasize performance throughout the teacher's career. They strengthen Ohio's teacher preparation programs by requiring successful performance of…

This document consists of the first two issues of a new newsletter of the National Clearinghouse for Profession in Special Education (NCPSE). The following articles are featured: "Diversity in the Special Education Teaching Force" (Judy L. Wald), which discusses reasons for the lack of teachers in special and general education from…

These profiles are a product of a 50-state study of state teacher professional development policies and programs for teachers conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education. The primary purpose of the work is to provide an information base for state policymakers interested in improving teacher learning opportunities in their states.…

This article discusses the impact of instructional television, directed study courses, and other alternative teacher certification methods. Colleges and universities are becoming aware of nontraditional programs that require minimal, if any, time on campus or direct contact with instructors. Soon, there will be a proliferation of Internet courses.…

This paper explores Hong Kong secondary teacher supply patterns related to teacher retention using data collected from 1991-99. Secondary teachers are classified into five categories by initial educational qualifications: registered Graduate Master (trained GM), who are university graduates with majors in a subject discipline; permitted Graduate…

Although the National Targets for Education and Training in England and Wales include indicators for lifelong learning, and the progress towards the targets set for these indicators has been lauded by politicians and other observers, much of this apparent progress is actually accounted for by changes in these same indicators. However, once the…

Teacher and student editions of this document are one in a series of competency-based instructional materials for diesel technology programs. The series aligns with the medium/heavy diesel duty truck task list used by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence in the certification of medium/heavy duty truck technicians. Introductory…

This brief paper summarizes information concerning use of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) disability classification by states and the nature of state-level activities related to the education of children and youth with TBI. It notes addition of the TBI disability category to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990 and provides the…