This paper reports on a study of inquiry and teacher development in a middle school science reform project. A model was developed that examined the dialectical interaction between teachers' concerns about their classroom practice and the culture of their professional setting, the school. This model sees the interaction of these two concerns as a…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the growth of teachers' beliefs through being involved in the process of developing science, technology, and society modules based on the educational resources of a science museum in Taiwan. Action research was the source of data from two elementary and two secondary science teachers who participated in…

This study determined preservice teachers' perceptions about the characteristics of effective teachers and investigated factors (e.g., gender, ethnicity, age, year of study, area of specialization, and parental status) that may have influenced their responses. Participants were 219 students attending a large mid-Southern university. The students…

This publication presents a response from the Ontario College of Teachers to the Canadian Minister of Education regarding the newly mandated teacher certification testing. It sets the stage for the provision of complete, accurate, and reliable advice, containing a summary of the extensive research conducted by the College and providing a wide…

This study investigated teachers' multicultural knowledge and multicultural professional development; teachers' cultural knowledge and/or professional development specific to children of African descent; professional development that teachers have had which increased their effectiveness in teaching children of African descent; and whether…

This paper focuses on how the State of Kentucky has developed performance-based assessment programs, and the concept of continuous assessment in teacher education has formed over the past several years. The paper discusses the work done by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board, the impact of 1997 legislation regarding postsecondary…

This booklet answers common questions about special education and students with disabilities. It was developed in light of the movement toward inclusion, through which more students with disabilities (and students with more serious disabilities) are being assigned to general education classes. The 28 questions and answers are grouped into five…

An advisory committee oversaw and guided an investigation of credentialing adult education instructors in Illinois. At its direction, a series of focus group inquiries were conducted into issues surrounding the development of a system of professional credentialing. Requirements varied widely in 13 states found to have some form of mandatory…

The Mathematical Sciences Education Board (MSEB) and the U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction (USNCMI) took advantage of a unique opportunity to bring educators together. In August 2000, following the Ninth International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME-9) in Makuhari, Japan, MSEB and USNCMI capitalized on the presence of…

Discusses the results of two questionnaires given to two groups of newly certified primary teachers in England. The cohorts answered questions concerning the training they had received and, 20 weeks into their new jobs, the nature of the demands they had experienced. Includes statistical and tabular data. (MJP)

Debates what the role of activism should be in environmental education. Argues that there is a proper place for citizen action in the environmental education curriculum and that instructional sequences should end with citizen action. (DDR)

To support science inquiry in preschools, the Education Development Center in Newton, Massachusetts, developed three teacher's guides to help teachers identify science-rich questions embedded in children's play and use those questions to engage the children in age-appropriate science inquiry. This article follows three Head Start teacher teams as…

Presents a large-scale teacher development program, a personal greenhouse gas calculator, and resources for teachers and students. (Contains 57 references.) (DDR)

Asserts that history departments in undergraduate programs should train secondary social studies teachers. Asserts that history professors are content experts and previously may have been successful secondary teachers, willing to experiment with teaching methods. Discusses how history departments can train secondary social studies teachers. (CMK)

A survey of 71 day and residential schools found 19 identified themselves as bilingual-bicultural (BiBi) programs. Of the 19 programs, 37% reported use of manually coded English. Fluency in American Sign Language of instructional and support staff varied, with 47% reporting no more than half of instructional staff were fluent. (Contains…