Researchers investigated the optimum length of teacher inservice activities where increasing teacher efficacy was the goal. Participants were elementary science teachers from seven teacher enhancement projects conducted from 1992-99. The length breakdown of each program was: 1992--6 weeks; 1994--6 weeks; 1995--4 weeks; 1996--4 weeks; 1997--4…

Issues that dominate debate about teacher education--teacher supply and demand, quality of college programs, and academic standards--may not be at the heart of the problem. The author argues for extended teacher education programs and increased public support for teacher salaries and college programs. (PP)

This paper discusses the connection between the restructuring of a preservice teacher education and the students' understanding of the working relationship between educational theory and teaching practices. An inquiry-based framework used for an extended degree program at a British university is discussed. (Author/PP)

Evaluated effectiveness of environmental education (EE) in northern New York public schools, determining the extent of EE curriculum/instruction, ascertaining problems previously reported in the literature as hindering implementation of EE, and examining relationships between EE and environmental knowledge of fifth-graders and relationships…

The performance of psychiatric residents with various lengths of medical primary care internship during their first year of residency training are compared. The results suggest that first-year residents without a traditional 12 months medical internship are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with those with a year's internship. (JMD)

In constant dollars, the average indebtedness of medical students has increased by over 59% between 1985 and 1995, while the proportion bringing debt with them to medical school declined. Public school graduates accrued debt averaging more than their tuition. Private school indebtedness varied. Little effect is seen on time to graduation, racial…

This article suggests that higher education is following an outdated model that does not reflect current educational needs. A number of suggestions for change are offered, including redesign of the academic year, departure from the traditional standardized college education to an emphasis on students' academic competence, reorganization of the…

In response to a United Kingdom government study of higher education, three questions are posed: "What is higher education and how does it differ from other forms of adult education that necessitates the separate, privileged treatment of its institutions, employees, and students?"; "What is the significance of the traditional…

A study of 217 Stanford University (California) Medical School graduates found clerkship experience lengths from 12 to 23 months; the median was 18 months. A highly significant correlation was found between longer clinical training and higher scores on Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Results suggest that decreasing…

Traditional Masters of Social Work (MSW) students versus extended MSW degree students who took a combination part-time/full-time work-study arrangement were compared. Comparisons were made on a variety of self-inventories, measuring attributes of personality, values and initial helping skills. (Author/MLW)

Proposals for three-year college degrees would affect African American students by making larger enrollments possible, but the negatives would outweigh the positives. Black students would be less likely than others to take advantage of the situation and costs would probably rise on a per-semester basis. (SLD)

Distance education cannot escape comparisons to traditional classes, and critics of distance education frequently point to the higher drop rate in distance education as evidence of its lower educational quality. While David Diaz and Ryan Cartnal note that this conclusion is a debatable one, they acknowledge that reducing drop rates in online…

Until 1975 around half of all graduates from Dutch basic vocational schools finished a 3-year program, the other half finished a 4-year program. In 1975 all 3-year programs were extended to four years. This was accompanied by an increase of the compulsory school leaving age with one year. The authors evaluate the long-term wage effects of this…

This survey was requested by the National Commission on Excellence in Education to provide input from schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDE's) on improving the quality of teacher education. Survey questions sought information on preferences for recommendations to make curriculum more rigorous, raise entrance criteria, and extend…

Researchers compared an eleven-week term student teaching program with a fifteen-week semester program. Examined were the effects of the length of the student teaching experience on student teachers' perceptions regarding teaching skill development and on the amount of time spent in actual classroom instruction. Subjects were nine 15-week semester…