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Descriptors:
Disabilities; Instructional Effectiveness; Program Effectiveness; Deafness; Partial Hearing; Teacher Education; Access to Education; Teacher Persistence; Teacher Supply and Demand; Teacher Recruitment; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Education Programs; Special Education; Special Education Teachers; Educational Legislation; Federal Legislation

Abstract:
The effective initial preparation and ongoing support of teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing has always been a difficult and controversial task. Changes in student demographic characteristics and educational settings, combined with the rapidly diminishing number and diversity of deaf education teacher preparation (DETP) programs, indicate that the field of deaf education may be at a tipping point. In the present article, the author establishes the dimensions of the current problems and proposes specific solutions to increase the accessibility and effectiveness of DETP programs that would simultaneously enhance the supply, retention, and instructional effectiveness of teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing. (Contains 1 note.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Adult Students; Community Colleges; Labor Force Development; Technical Education; Adult Vocational Education; Program Effectiveness; Acceleration (Education); Academic Support Services; Student Personnel Services; Alignment (Education); Education Work Relationship; Capacity Building; Educational Policy; Associate Degrees; State Surveys; Case Studies

Abstract:
The Michigan Center for Student Success commissioned this study to determine whether strategies employed to improve adult students' success at 41 Breaking Through colleges nationwide have taken root at Michigan's original colleges and spread beyond them. A statewide survey revisited four of the colleges profiled in previous publications, and the research looked more closely at two additional colleges that have experimented with Breaking Through-type programs. In this research, some themes emerged to guide future state investments: (1) The importance of scaling up from "boutique" programs to serve more students; (2) The need to create clear pathways between noncredit workforce training and credit programs leading to Associate's degrees in occupational disciplines; (3) The significance of investment in upfront program features such as skill assessments and career guidance; and (4) The role of workforce training programs in incubating student success strategies. Based on this research, the Center for Student Success has created a new initiative, Michigan Pathways to Credentials, to broaden the impact of Breaking Through strategies and support the development of career pathways across the state. Supported by a grant from the Kresge Foundation, six colleges will scale up their efforts to support adult students in obtaining credentials leading to family-sustaining careers. Appended are: (1) Breaking Through College Case Studies; and (2) Michigan Breaking Through Statewide Survey Template. [For executive summary, "Forging New Pathways: The Impact of the Breaking Through Initiative in Michigan. Executive Summary," see ED539873.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Teacher Education; Alternative Teacher Certification; Nontraditional Education; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Persistence; Value Judgment; Corporate Support; Educational Change

Abstract:
This review of the research literature was commissioned by the New Zealand Post-Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua as a means of informing the decision-making of the Association and its members about the Teach For All (TFA) scheme seeking to prepare teachers for New Zealand's schools. The systematic review is about fast track schemes in teacher education, and specifically focuses on what is known about such schemes run by the TFA organisation. In stark contrast to traditional university-based teacher education, schemes characterised as fast track provide would-be teachers a greatly accelerated programme of study and practical experience for gaining entry to teaching in schools. Within a wide variety of alternative routes for teacher training and certification (credentialing), fast track programs have been one of the more visible and aggressively marketed schemes over the last twenty-five years. Initially conceived and developed as Teach For America, similar fast track teacher education programs are now established as Teach First UK and Teach For Australia, and have been established in some 18 countries around the world. Such a scheme is currently under development as Teach First New Zealand. The review of the research literature found both positive and negative outcomes associated with TFA schemes. On the positive side are TFA's remarkable global expansion, success in securing philanthropic and corporate support, selective recruitment of highly able university graduates into teaching and public education, and apparently healthy relationships with prestigious university partners in the UK and Australia. Perhaps most critically, the few larger-scale studies that have been conducted to date on balance seem to support the view that TFA-prepared teachers are at least as effective in fostering student learning as compared to their traditionally-prepared colleagues, and perhaps more so in subjects like mathematics and science. On the negative side, a high proportion of TFA-prepared teachers leave teaching after two years. It is a design feature of the TFA strategy that its teachers need only make a two year commitment to teaching in the schools; this revolving door approach to teacher retention necessarily means both direct and hidden costs to schools and students, and these costs would seem particularly burdensome for schools in challenging circumstances. In addition, many traditional teacher education stakeholders have observed TFA's apparent alignment with the rise of deregulation, choice and marketization, key planks in a neoliberal/neoconservative educational reform agenda. Perhaps most importantly, TFA and its alternative route teacher education peers are often portrayed as having a high potential for reversing the progress made on advancing teaching as a profession. The logic of this perspective is that by its very operation, TFA promotes the view that effective teachers simply need sound knowledge of the subject to be taught, as well as a healthy sense of altruism and/or social justice that frames and supports their work in challenging schools. In other words, the continued expansion of TFA poses an existential question for traditional teacher education and potentially calls into question the value of teachers it prepares. An annotated bibliography is appended. A bibliography is also included. (Contains 9 footnotes and 1 table.) [This work was produced by the Centre for Learning, Change and Development, Murdoch University.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Program Effectiveness; Student Attitudes; Adult Students; Conflict; Adult Education; Teamwork; Cooperative Learning; Acceleration (Education); Academic Achievement

Abstract:
This study examined 718 adult students' perceptions of long-functioning cooperative study teams in accelerated associate's, bachelor's, and master's business degree programs. Six factors were examined: attraction toward team, alignment of performance expectations, intrateam conflict, workload sharing, preference for teamwork, and impact on learning. Across degree programs, 66-71% of students reported equal workload sharing in their teams, 51-61% preferred teamwork, and 56-62% believed being on a team enhanced their learning. Significant statistical differences were found between associate's degree and master's degree students in performance expectation alignment, intrateam conflict, and teamwork preference. (Contains 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teacher Education Programs; Program Effectiveness; Vocational Education Teachers; Professional Development; Educational Needs; Academic Education; Transitional Programs; Alternative Teacher Certification; Participant Satisfaction; Teacher Competencies; Portfolio Assessment; Career Change; Program Evaluation

Abstract:
This study reports the results on the needs of an emerging population of Career-Technical Education (CTE) teachers in Ohio. The purposes of the study were to determine the needs of the teachers and the effectiveness of the teacher education program they completed to add the CTE license. Twenty six academic teachers added a CTE license through a modified licensure program at Kent State University over a two year period from 2008-2010. The primary goal of the licensure program was to support the academic teachers in the transition from the academic to the CTE environment. Six data collection sources were used to determine the effectiveness of the program. A profile of the academic teacher was also identified. The results indicate that the academic teachers were successful and satisfied as they made the transition. The teachers also felt least competent in specific CTE competencies such as collaborating with employer/job sites, working with advisory boards and planning work-based learning instructional activities. Suggestions to assist the teachers were provided. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Attendance; Program Effectiveness; Achievement Gains; Teaching Experience; Alternative Teacher Certification; Teacher Education Programs; Teaching (Occupation); Teacher Shortage; Teacher Qualifications; Diversity (Faculty); Comparative Analysis; Student Behavior; Behavior Problems; Principals; Administrator Attitudes; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Placement; Pedagogical Content Knowledge; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Persistence

Abstract:
The shortage of qualified teachers across the U.S. has contributed to the popularity of alternative certification programs. These programs are designed to attract individuals into the teaching profession by allowing candidates to become certified without having to complete a traditional teacher education program. This Information Capsule reviewed research related to the following seven questions: (1) Have alternative certification programs increased the diversity of the teaching workforce? (2) How do the retention rates of teachers certified through alternative routes compare to those of traditionally prepared teachers? (3) Do the achievement levels of students assigned to teachers certified through alternative routes differ from the achievement levels of students assigned to traditionally trained teachers? (4) Do teachers who enter the classroom through alternative certification programs report more student attendance and behavioral problems than teachers who were traditionally trained? (5) Do alternative certification programs adequately prepare teachers for the classroom? (6) How do principals rate the teachers at their school who were certified through alternative programs? (7) What are the characteristics of effective alternative certification programs? Research indicates that most alternative certification programs provide a viable source of high-quality teachers and even increase the diversity of the teaching workforce. Many studies have found that alternatively certified teachers can produce student achievement gains comparable to teachers certified in traditional programs. In fact, evidence suggests that teachers' years of experience, rather than the manner in which they obtained their certification, is a more reliable indicator of their future ability to positively impact student achievement. Similarly, the school at which a teacher is placed has also been found to play a larger role in their effectiveness than the route through which certification is obtained. There is great variation in the quality of alternative certification programs and comparisons across programs are difficult. In addition, participants tend to experience the same program in dramatically different ways, depending upon their educational backgrounds, past experiences, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. In other words, many factors contribute to a teacher's effectiveness, including the school to which they are assigned, their years of teaching experience, and their content area knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. The route through which certification is obtained is just one of these factors. Examples of noteworthy alternative certification programs operating across the U.S. are provided at the conclusion of this report. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Research; College Graduates; Teacher Education Programs; Alternative Teacher Certification; Program Effectiveness; Effective Schools Research; Best Practices; Educational Policy; Teacher Recruitment; Teacher Persistence; Success; Educational Theories; Credentials; Teacher Effectiveness

Abstract:
In recent years, Teach for America (TFA) has placed thousands of high-achieving college graduates in hard-to-staff schools, and its popularity continues to grow. TFA thus represents an anomaly: it attracts higher education's top students to primary and secondary education's least desired jobs. This article reviews the current explanations for TFA's success and draws from credentialism theory to explain how these theories overlook a key characteristic differentiating TFA from other programs, and how this difference limits TFA's generalizability. Using credentialism theory, previous research, and official recruitment messages, this article delineates TFA's use and exchange values and finds that TFA, by recruiting noneducation majors from prestigious universities, remaining selective, embedding members in a resource-rich social network, and increasing access and reducing the costs for its members to connect to nonteaching career ladders, has increased its credential's exchange value relative to other preparation programs. The research and policy implications of TFA's high exchange value are discussed. (Contains 4 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Certification; Alternative Teacher Certification; Readiness; Self Efficacy; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Background; Intermode Differences; Conventional Instruction; Teacher Education Programs; Teaching Skills; Pedagogical Content Knowledge; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Educational Policy; Teacher Characteristics; Educational Research; Program Effectiveness; Teacher Surveys; Role Perception; Program Design

Abstract:
In the United States, about one third of new teachers being hired are drawn from alternative certification programs. One way to address controversy about the differences among the training experiences of teachers in traditional certification programs, fast-track alternative programs, and residency alternative programs is to examine teacher reports of how well prepared they felt in their 1st year of teaching. Using data from the 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey, this study addresses questions about 1st-year teachers' backgrounds and about their feelings of preparedness. Alternatively certified teachers are found to feel somewhat less well prepared than traditionally certified teachers. Results also show that 1st-year teachers who have fewer types of education coursework and shorter field experiences feel less well prepared than teachers whose pedagogical preparation is more complete. Finally, this study suggests important implications for program administration and policy and for methodologies used in teacher education research. (Contains 5 tables and 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teacher Education Programs; Program Effectiveness; State Universities; Conventional Instruction; Alternative Teacher Certification; Professional Development Schools; Internship Programs; Grouping (Instructional Purposes); Elementary School Teachers; Principals; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes

Abstract:
This article reports results of research on whether there are clinical and statistically significant differences in the effectiveness of three pathways to teacher preparation on a single campus, Yosemite State, a member of the California State University (CSU) System as rated by graduates and employment supervisors. The independent variable is the type of pathway into teaching; the dependent variable consists of ratings of preparation quality at the end of the graduates' first year of professional teaching experience. This study examined seven years of data from Yosemite State. A total of 425 employment supervisors and 599 teachers provided ratings of three campus-specific pathways: Campus Based, Interns and Partnership Schools. No significant differences were found among the ratings of the employment supervisors, however teachers identified substantial differences despite all groups enrolling in the same courses taught by the same pool of instructors using a common master syllabus. The partnership graduates rated their preparation superior to the other pathways on every composite, with all differences being statistically significant. The intern graduates rated their preparation significantly higher than the campus based on 13 of the 17 composites. The magnitude of differences was indicative of clinical significance as well. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Strategies; Classroom Techniques; Student Teaching; Informal Assessment; Online Courses; Masters Degrees; Program Effectiveness; Teaching Experience; Alternative Teacher Certification; Educational Certificates; Graduate Surveys; Attitude Measures; Gender Differences; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Reflective Teaching; Teacher Education Programs

Abstract:
This study examined graduates' and completers' perceptions of the effectiveness of Marshall University's alternative certification programs, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certificate (PBTC), from 1999-2010. This non-experimental descriptive cross-sectional study used the "Spivy Survey of MAT and PBTC Program Effectiveness" to collect data. Based on the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards, this survey used 20 closed-ended questions and two open-ended questions to investigate graduates' and completers' perceptions. Data indicated that graduates and completers perceived their preparation was "moderately prepared" based on the mean scores. All median and mode scores indicated graduates and completers perceived themselves to be "well prepared." Respondents felt extremely "well prepared" in their ability to use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage critical thinking, their ability to create appropriate learning environments and their ability to use formal and informal assessment. Respondents indicated that they perceived their ability to plan instruction based on a critical understanding of the community to be the weakest although the mean still indicated they felt "moderately prepared." Results indicated that there was a statistical difference between the perceptions of male respondents compared with female respondents in the area targeting reflective teaching and professional growth. Based on qualitative data, respondents indicated the following themes to be beneficial aspects of the programs: the instructional strategy courses, the student teaching experience, the faculty, and the ability to take courses online. The following were identified as being areas that might need improvement: more time spent in the field experience placements before student teaching, more instruction concerning classroom management, changes in the logistics of the programs, and a more hands-on practical approach to coursework. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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