This book presents 25 essays and studies that explore the interplay of a variety of factors that provide the fuel for individual and collaborative explorations into the nature of literacy. Essays and studies in the book are "Patterns of Response: Struggling Readers Respond to a Real Book during Transactional Literature Discussion" (JoAnn Rubino…

The Center of Excellence for Rural Special Education at Clemson University (South Carolina) has developed a field-based undergraduate preservice teacher training program. During the fall and spring semesters of their senior year, preservice teachers are matched with a mentor special education teacher for 2 weeks in a rural school district of the…

A team of four high school juniors conducted a field study to determine the value that college admissions directors place on school-to-work (STW) experiences, which were defined not as traditional vocational education but rather as field study designed to give students an appreciation for and practice in exercising the skills and competencies…

Three components of excellent middle grades teacher preparation programs include foundations (a broad liberal education and the knowledge base upon which the teaching profession rests), teaching fields (depth beyond the basics in some areas of academic inquiry), and middle grades specialization (experiences specific to learning to function…

This study of British primary and secondary teachers and higher education faculty examined teachers' and administrators' responses to government reforms in preservice teacher education. Results indicated that predictions of collapse and major disruption have not materialized, but that systemic instability and fragility raise questions about…

As preservice teachers anticipate student teaching, they often experience excitement, for they realize they will soon be finished with their course work and out in a school all day, every day, for a semester. This excitement may be mixed with anxiety, however, especially if they have just completed an intensive field experience where they have…

Mentoring is often assumed to be done by experienced teachers with new teachers in one-on-one settings and designed to help the mentee be successful with the tasks of teaching. In the context of preservice teacher education, mentoring usually takes place during field experiences, particularly student teaching when the mentor is the host classroom…

This project is an exploration of the benefits of a field-based pre-student teaching semester in which elementary education students work with college professors and practicing elementary teachers in a more holistic way than is possible with traditional campus-based courses. A group of twenty-six college students met four days each week, seven…

The American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) Alliance for Tomorrow's Teachers is a collaborative effort among the University of North Florida, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, the Clay and Duval County (Florida) school systems, and the Clay and Duval County teachers' unions. The goals of the program are to: (1) restructure the…

This publication updates information from prior surveys of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the areas of: (1) requirements for regular licensure (standards an individual must meet to be issued an initial or advanced teaching credential); (2) requirements for licensure--emergency or shortage-driven (the process by which a person who…

This paper describes the experiences of several individuals involved in the initial stages of orchestrating a school-university partnership. A group of elementary teachers, a student teacher, a cooperating teacher, a university faculty member, and a coordinator of school-university partnerships participated in the experience and shared their views…

A research and theory-based model proposed for the professional preparation and induction of vocational teachers suggests a collaborative problem-solving effort that would use a clinical approach to preservice preparation. Beginning teachers report problems not in subject material, but in instructional planning, delivery, and classroom management…

PREMIER (Preparation of Minority Educators Partnership Program) is designed to find ways to attract and retain more minority teachers in Florida schools. It is a collaborative effort among an urban school district (Duval County Public Schools), a local community college (Florida Community College at Jacksonville), and an urban college of education…

This publication updates information from prior surveys of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the areas of: (1) requirements for regular licensure (standards an individual must meet to be issued an initial or advanced teaching credential); (2) requirements for licensure--emergency or shortage-driven (the process by which a person who…

This article illustrates the path of the College of Education at Towson University to successfully integrate technology within coursework and thereby meet national technology standards. This discussion includes details about specific required instructional technology courses and a faculty development project that supports the ongoing use of…