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The U.S. Department of Education recently published a notice of draft priorities and requirements for applying for "Race to the Top" (RTT) funding--$4.35 billion in competitive federal grants. Even though it constitutes the smallest piece of education stimulus funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, "Race to the Top" represents the most significant source of education stimulus funding ever to be awarded to states by competition, with the vast majority of funds awarded by formula to all 50 states and the District of Columbia. While the U.S. Department of Education is under no obligation to spread "Race to the Top" money among all states, that may be what some states expect, since there is so much money available. The authors are betting that is not how the race will go. So, what will it take for Arizona to compete? In this paper, the authors lay out a number of features of "Race to the Top" funding and discuss what states like Arizona should expect from the upcoming competition. They then provide a description of the kind of strategies--including next steps broken down by key actors and back-of-the-envelope cost calculations for implementing such strategies--being promoted both by Department officials as well as the many influential education reform groups that have the Department's ear. The Impact of Teachers' Advanced Degrees on Student Learning (Metin Ozdemir and Wendy Stevenson) is appended. (Contains 53 footnotes.)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the social studies teaching beliefs and the application of these beliefs into classroom practice of a group of elementary teachers who are part of a New York City alternative certification program. The teachers in this study are working in low performing New York City schools, are typically pursuing teaching as a second career and often have undergraduate majors in the social sciences as well. Initial data for this study is extracted from a survey that the teachers completed in the second year of their two year program. Included in this survey are questions about the teachers' beliefs and practices in inquiry based constructivist teaching methodology. The survey results were compared to individual interviews and focus group discussions with selected teachers and observations of the teachers' classroom social studies teaching by their college supervisors. The authors anticipated an easier transition into teaching for a group of mature work experienced individuals than the typical transition of college graduates in their twenties with no prior full time work experience. Additionally the authors anticipated a greater ability to use the more complex teaching strategies involved in constructivist instruction than less experienced and mature teachers. One unanticipated outcome of this study is the further substantiation of recent research on the marginalization of social studies instruction in the elementary schools (Boyle-Baise et al, 2008; Doppen, Misco & Patterson, 2008: Rock et al, 2006;Vanfossen, 2005). The uniqueness of this study is that the teachers are alternatively certified second career individuals who have selected teaching as a second career. The study further substantiates that teachers are constrained in their ability to use constructivist practices, or teach social studies at all, by the emphasis in elementary school on reading and math instruction and integrated curriculum. This integration minimizes studies concepts and skills in favor of other subjects, typically reading and literacy strategies and skills. (Contains 9 tables.)

A STEM teacher is one who teaches in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In K-12 schooling, most STEM teachers instruct mathematics and science classes, which continue to be critical shortage areas. As part of a comprehensive human capital strategy, designing recruitment initiatives to attract qualified STEM teachers will help school districts do the following: (1) Ensure the equitable distribution of qualified mathematics and science teachers; (2) Design a systematic and seamless recruitment and hiring effort that meets the needs of the district or school and thereby strengthens the quality of candidates for mathematics and science positions; and (3) Retain effective teachers in the hard-to-staff positions through better job-candidate matches. This paper presents strategies for developing targeted mathematics and science teacher recruitment.

Teacher shortages are essentially a problem of distribution (Darling-Hammond, 2001; Ingersoll, 2001; National Association of State Boards of Education, 1998; Olson, 2000; Reeves, 2003; Voke, 2002). According to recent studies, hardest to find are teachers who are both qualified and willing to teach in hard-to-staff schools, which included those in highly urban and rural areas--especially schools serving minority or low-income students. In addition, recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers are intertwined; it's not enough to attract these teachers if concurrent steps are not taken to keep them (Liu, Johnson, & Peske, 2004). Schools need help in building their capacity to attract and maintain a highly qualified teaching staff. Although not all urban and rural schools are hard to staff, those with high numbers of inexperienced and out-of-field teachers, special-needs or English-language-learner students, and poor, minority, and highly mobile students face the toughest recruitment and retention challenges (Jacob, 2007; Monk, 2007; Reeves, 2003; Southeast Center for Teaching Quality, 2002). Also, social and geographic isolation and lower-than-average pay make these schools unattractive to many teachers--leading to an inequitable distribution of teachers as more head to midsized and suburban districts (Levin & Quinn, 2003; Reeves, 2003). The needs of hard-to-staff urban schools are often very different from those of their rural counterparts, and teacher recruitment is no exception. Therefore, recruitment strategies must be targeted to meet the needs of individual districts and schools. Several tips and cautions for policymakers and school leaders to keep in mind are listed in this paper.

Connecticut's Alternate Route to Certification Program--ARC, as it is commonly known--prepares talented, well-educated adults to become certified as teachers in Connecticut's public schools. ARC was created in 1986 by the Connecticut state legislature to encourage mid-career adults with strong subject area backgrounds to become teachers. Today ARC also focuses on helping Connecticut address teacher shortages in specific subject areas. ARC is authorized by the Connecticut State Department of Education to prepare individuals to become certified as teachers in Connecticut. The program is not credit-bearing and is offered under the auspices of the Connecticut Department of Higher Education. This paper presents the following information on ARC: (1) Admission Process; (2) Praxis I--Pre-Professional Skills Test; (3) Subject-Specific Course Requirements for ARC Applicants; (4) Waivers; (5) Foreign Credential Review; (6) Program Costs & Financial Assistance; (7) Testing Requirements for Connecticut Certification; (8) Employment upon Completion of ARC; (9) The Application; (10) Helpful Resources & Contact Information; and (11) Key Dates.

While 2009 presented serious economic challenges for this nation, and particularly for the low-income communities Teach for America serves, the year also presented new opportunities. The depressed economy forced school districts to cut hiring and struck at each of Teach For America's funding streams, but with the continued enthusiasm for public service, talent--the most precious resource in education reform and historically the greatest constraint on Teach For America's growth--was in greater supply than ever. Moreover, new opportunities in the policy environment produced fresh possibilities for Teach For America, and for education reform in general. As the fourth year of Teach For America's 2010 growth plan is concluded, it is energized by the impact of sustained investments in its four organizational priority areas: growing in scale while increasing the diversity of its corps, maximizing corps members' impact on student achievement, fostering the leadership of alumni as a force for change, and building an enduring institution. This paper presents the 2009 annual report of Teach For America.

The purpose of this study was to identify the concerns of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career changers to better inform teacher education programs on how to best address their unique needs. We identified three career-changers with former STEM-related careers, each seeking a secondary teaching credential in biology and currently enrolled in a post-baccalaureate fifth-year secondary-level credential program. Data were collected using a variety of qualitative methods including open-ended interviews and non-participant observations. Teaching portfolios (including employment resumes and program assignments and lesson plans) and academic transcripts were also collected. Qualitative data were analyzed by organizing the data into topics, codes, and then categories based upon predetermined themes from the research questions and emergent themes from the data set. A case for each career changer was then developed and further analyzed for similarities and differences. This study raises questions about designing alternative certification programs exclusively for second career teachers. The findings of this study in several ways agreed with other literature on the reluctance of career-changers to become students again; however, this study presented an alternate picture as well. Two of the three study participants expressed initial misgivings about their needs to enter a credential program because of either their previous experiences in working with youth or teaching at the university level. However, by the end of the first semester of student teaching, all three saw the value in learning about students especially when working with diverse student populations. In conclusion, we found that these STEM career changers benefited by entering the teaching profession alongside more traditional peers in the credential program. A longer term and future goal is to follow these individuals into their teaching careers to determine if their collegial experiences inthe credential program are related to the development of their teacher identity and what impact that may have on their success in the classroom and on teacher retention.

This paper is one of four individual case study reports presenting the qualitative findings from a five-year investigation of the impact of accountability reform on students with disabilities in four states, eight districts, and twenty schools. This case study report presents qualitative data collected over a four-year period--2001-2004--from three levels of the public education systems, and provides an analysis of the impact of accountability reform on students with disabilities in one of the participating four states. This report is divided into five sections. Section I contains information regarding the methodology used to collect and analyze the state and local data presented in this report. Section II is an overview of the assessment and accountability systems in Texas, including changes resulting from NCLB. In Section III, the authors provide demographic information on each of the study sites. In Section IV they present their research findings at the state, district, and school level, and in Section V they present a discussion of the major findings for each embedded case study and address cross site themes. (Contains 2 tables.)

Education policymakers have long sought to establish teaching standards that will measure new or continuing teachers against these standards. The problem is, existing methods for certifying teachers have been criticized for being either so onerous as to deter good candidates or so lax as to keep weak teachers in the profession. To provide another approach, the U.S. Department of Education recently funded an organization called the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE, or American Board) to develop portable teacher credentials that would identify qualified beginning teachers and recognize accomplished veteran teachers. In 2005, ABCTE selected Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) to conduct an independent, five-year evaluation of the certification programs. This paper describes results from the first six months and plans for the remainder of the evaluation. The first sections provide background on certification processes in use today ("traditional") and ABCTE itself; subsequent sections discuss findings from the early use of American Board certification, as well as a design for a rigorous evaluation of the credentials, the results of which will be included in future reports. By issuing this report on the early descriptive findings and design of the evaluation, the hope is to promote transparency in this approach and invite comments from the field. (Contain 4 tables and 2 figures.) [This report was submitted to the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence.]

This study investigates the social studies teaching practices of sixty-seven elementary teachers who are part of an alternative master's degree program in New York City. The respondents' program emphasizes constructivist and inquiry based teaching practices in its social studies methods courses. The findings are from an exit survey that was completed at the end of coursework. The study finds that the teachers use constructivist teaching practices in social studies more than teacher directed instruction. The teachers with undergraduate majors in the social sciences use these practices even more than the total group of respondents. However, the results when focusing on teachers with academic undergraduate majors in the disciplines of social studies which include history, economics and political science show a preference for mixed method instruction which includes some direct teacher instruction as well as constructivist student inquiry. (Contains 9 tables.)

`The Teaching Fellows (TF) program in New York City was designed to attract individuals interested in an alternative certification program in teaching. The present investigation represents the first two waves of an ongoing investigation of TF in a graduate elementary education program. The TF begin the program during the summer by participating in two education courses and a field experience. In the fall, they are placed as full-time teachers in low performing schools. For the next two years, the TF teach full-time during the day and take two masters level education courses in the afternoon or evenings. Upon completion of their final college course and the end of their obligation to the TF program, the TF were given a survey that focused on many aspects of their experience. Survey results indicate that approximately 29 percent of TF intend to leave their current teaching position at the end of their contractual obligation. This report focuses on how the TF perceptions of the schools' socioeconomic status, the perception of support received from fellow teachers and the principals within the schools, the beliefs they hold about the efficacy of their teaching practices and their beliefs about pupil control in a classroom setting impact on their plan to remain teaching in their current setting. Pearson product-moment correlations revealed that socioeconomic status, administrative support and feelings of general teaching efficacy all correlated with the TF long-term goal of continuing to teach in their present setting. Utilizing a stepwise regression analysis, feelings of general teaching efficacy were found to significantly predict the TF plan to remain teaching in their current school. Findings from this investigation point to the need to build in more support for the TF in order to keep them in the positions they have been trained for.

The Teaching Fellows program in New York City was designed to attract individuals interested in an alternative certification process. The present investigation is an exploratory study of Teaching Fellows in a public graduate elementary education program. The department of education placed these alternatively certified teachers in teaching positions in low performing schools throughout the city. The Teaching Fellows completed a survey that focused on many aspects of their experience including previous employment, reasons for joining the program, curriculum, teaching efficacy and retention. This investigation utilized a portion of the survey to examine perceptions of socioeconomic status, the perceived support from school administrators, their pupil control ideology and beliefs about the efficacy of their teaching. Positive findings from the preliminary analysis include the inclination on the part of the Teaching Fellows to treat their students in a humanistic, encouraging way and feelings of competence as expressed in their personal teaching efficacy. (Contains 1 table.)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that all teachers receive state certification by the end of the 2005-06 school year. Waivers will no longer be allowed. Each state has established standards for licensing teachers. Licensure tests aligned with teacher preparation standards are required for certification. As a result of teacher shortages, many states have implemented alternative certification programs to get teachers into classrooms quickly. In spite of great unevenness in alternative certification program quality, such programs provide an important way for prospective rural teachers to become credentialed. A Minnesota study examined whether the use of teachers without full certification affected the performance of either rural or urban students. Student achievement and teacher characteristic data for all 331 Minnesota school districts with secondary students indicated that rural teachers had more experience than nonrural teachers, but were less likely to have a master's degree. Nine percent of rural teachers were teaching out of their field of licensure or under an emergency permit, compared to 5.2 percent of nonrural teachers. Teacher experience had a significant negative impact on student achievement in math and reading. Students of teachers who were relatively better paid had higher math and reading achievement. Neither teacher experience or pay had any effect on writing achievement. Differences in teacher qualifications had little impact on student achievement in math, reading, or writing. Policy implications are discussed. (Contains 25 references) (TD)

This final report summarizes the 2003 National Teacher Education Institute (TEI) for Career and Technical Teacher Education (CTTE). The theme of the Institute was "Pathways to the Future: Preparing and Developing Secondary and Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Teachers." The 118 participants included representatives from colleges and universities, community colleges, K-12 schools, regional and state education agencies, national organizations, state teaching certification/licensing agencies, labor groups, business and industry, community organizations, and educational consultants. The institute was organized around the following four program strands: (1) increasing the academic and technical achievement of teacher candidates; (2) designing career and technical teacher education programs that work; (3) increasing collaboration and flexibility; and (4) providing options for increasing the supply of teachers/faculty. Four types of sessions individual papers, roundtables, poster displays, and symposia were convened to discuss the strands, and the issues, program implications, and policy implications raised for each strand are summarized in the report. Appendices include a TEI 2003 schedule of events/agenda, a list of participants, an evaluation of 2003 TEI, and a TEI evaluation form. Contains two figures, four tables, and eight references. (MO)

Researchers at Utah State University's special education department compared the performance of student teachers on dimensions that reflected pedagogical practices known to promote effective teaching of special education students. This study evaluated and compared dimensions of special education teaching performance among student teachers from three teacher preparation programs: traditional on-campus, distance education, and alternative preparation. The university developed a comprehensive performance evaluation tool using the Special Education Student Teaching Evaluation Form as the foundation for the new instrument. The student teaching evaluation consists of 19 items. An observation sheet collects frequency counts, student seating arrangement, and duration data. A lesson plan is obtained from the student teacher at the beginning of the observation. Five items are observed during the new material and guided practice phase of the student teacher's lesson: sufficient opportunities to respond, uses appropriate correction procedures, sufficient rate of reinforcement, pupil engagement, and uses class time efficiently. Pupil engagement and uses class time efficiently are also observed during independent practice, as is active monitoring. After the observation, student teachers complete an interview on various aspects of the lesson and instruction. Researchers plan observe and evaluate all student teachers at least once before the end of the semester, conduct reliability checks on 20 percent of the observations, and analyze the data over the summer. (Contains 10 references.) (SM)

This paper summarizes the findings of a 2003 report, on effective strategies for educating and training U.S. teachers. The full report details the findings and policy implications, offering summaries of all 92 research studies reviewed, discussing the use of research in policy decisions, and making recommendations for improving teacher preparation research specifically and education research in general. The report examined: (1) the extent to which subject knowledge contributes to teacher effectiveness; (2) the extent to which pedagogical coursework contributes to teacher effectiveness; (3) the extent to which high quality field experience prior to certification contributes to teacher effectiveness; (4) alternative route programs that graduate high percentages of effective new teachers with average or above average rates of teacher retention; (5) teacher preparation strategies that are likely to increase new teacher effectiveness in hard-to-staff and low-performing schools; (6) whether setting more stringent teacher preparation program entrance requirements, or conducting more selective screening program candidates, can ensure that prospective teachers will be more effective; (7) whether accreditation of teacher preparation programs contributes significantly to the likelihood that graduates will be effective and remain in the classroom; and (8) whether institutional warranties for new teachers contribute to the likelihood that recent graduates will be effective. (SM)

National Board Certification represents one of the most significant reform efforts in the area of teacher quality in the last two decades. Since the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certified its first round of teachers in 1995, approximately 24,000 teachers have become certified at a cost to the country of well over $200 million, yet no large scale quantitative research exists on the candidates of the program and their effectiveness in educating children. Since 1995, there has been significant growth in NBPTS application and certification rates. In this paper, researchers describe the results of a study of teachers in North Carolina, assessing the factors associated with the decision to apply to NBPTS and the factors associated with successful certification. Results find that with all else equal, those teachers who are African-American and/or female, score higher on standardized tests, or are younger are more likely to apply for certification. With respect to NBPTS certification, results find that African-American and male teachers are less likely to be certified. Finally, they find that teachers who score higher on standardized tests are more likely to be certified. Variable definitions and teacher test correlations are appended. (Contains 11 figures and 21 references.) (Author/SM)

Teachers in career and technical settings are often recruited directly from industry with little or no pedagogical training, which can result in job dissatisfaction and teachers leaving the profession. As a response to the lack of retention and success of new career and technical teachers, a statewide committee was formed in Oklahoma in 1996 to design a system to integrate and align the activities of various stakeholders and provide a high-performance, professional development system for career and technical teachers. A new teacher induction system was implemented in the state's technology centers during the academic year 2000-2001, and an evaluation based on data gathered during the second year of the system's implementation indicated that the system provided a positive experience for all new teachers involved. Surveys were sent to participants in 48 induction teams across 29 different technology centers (response rate of 70%) and 64 face-to-face interviews were conducted. Specific recommendations include the following: (1) increase awareness of mentor training and related financial issues; (2) increase knowledge of team members' roles and responsibilities and improve communication between them; (3) select better mentors part of which would involve the state agency developing a list of content mentors; and (4) school and technology centers should make firm commitments concerning their responsibilities to new teachers and be honest about their expectations of them. (Contains 16 references.) (MO)

This paper examines reading issues and strategies for the 21st century, analyzing interventions that could become models for ensuring quality and alignment in preservice teacher education and reviewing the "Gap Analysis of Preservice and Inservice Teacher Training of Reading Instruction: Large-Scale Survey Study." It also synthesizes findings from reading research studies in preservice teacher education and provides recommendations, action plans, and thoughts for preservice teacher education in reading and literacy in general. Four sections present "Overview of Critical Issues and Strategies for the 21st Century and Beyond" (e.g., rapid teacher retirement, poverty and second language students, and alternative certification); "Interventions for Alignment in Preservice Teacher Education" (e.g., Higher Education Act: Title II, public school teacher quality, and teacher quality and student achievement); "NCREL's 'Gap Analysis of Preservice and Inservice Teacher Training of Reading Instruction: Large-Scale Survey Study'"; and "Synthesis of Preservice Teacher Education Research Studies in the Field of Reading" (e.g., preservice teachers' perspectives, teaching experiences, and diagnostic teaching). Two appendixes include the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Standards and Matrix from "Initial Programs for Middle/Junior High and Senior High School English Language Arts Teaching" and "International Reading Association (IRA) Standards for Specialized Reading Professionals." (Contains 63 references.) (SM)

This paper examines alternative teacher certification in the NCREL region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin), reviewing relevant literature, analyzing current Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data, reviewing information on alternative certification programs in these states, and offering results from a survey of over 1,000 principals in the region regarding their experiences with alternatively certified teachers. Results suggest that alternative certification has had a fairly substantial impact on the region, even in states where legislation authorizing these programs is relatively new. Induction experiences of alternatively certified teachers are relatively similar to those of other new teachers. While principles rate a large majority of teachers from alternative certification programs as equal to or above other newly hired teachers in terms of quality, they rate the performance of slightly more than one-fourth of alternatively certified teachers below that of other new hires. Results find that alternative certification programs have only a small effect on the diversity of the region's teaching force, and most teachers hired from alternative certification programs have been retained at rates equal to those of other new hires. Recommendations include: accreditation for alternative certification programs, incentives and rewards for quality programs, and increased funding for research and evaluation. (Contains 19 references.) (SM)

This study investigated whether student teachers' attitudes toward classroom management would develop the same way in alternative certification (AC) teacher education programs as they would in traditional programs. Participants were 2 groups of Canadian student teachers at the end of their first or second year of a 2-year AC program. All participants had completed a baccalaureate degree prior to beginning the AC program. The participants completed the Attitudes and Beliefs in Classroom Control Inventory and a demographic inventory. Data analysis indicated that teachers in the AC program did not follow the same trajectory of classroom management attitudes as teachers in traditional teacher education programs, where attitudes do not generally change over the course of the program. Student teachers at the completion of the AC program had more interventionist attitudes about their roles in their relationships with students than did students who had completed only half of the AC program. There were no significant differences between any of the three age groups of AC preservice teachers. (Contains 59 references.) (SM)

A study examined the feasibility of marketing a national model of alternative special education teacher certification/licensure, the extent of program need, and the types of content and processes that such a program should have. A telephone survey of State Improvement Grant Directors or their equivalents in 14 states indicated that most states had already adopted procedures for alternative certification/licensure of special education teachers. The procedures could be developed within the context of a national model that addresses identified needs. Any potential program needs to consider regional differences in critical shortage areas. Inner city schools and rural schools have the greatest need. The cross-categorical 'generalist' group and the categorically based 'specialist' group of special education teachers demonstrated the most consistent demand. The most common alternative program delivery was some combination of school district and university partnership. The framework provided by the Council for Exceptional Children provides an acceptable starting point in the development of a national model. The processes for supporting alternative certification/licensure programs are equally important to the content and delivery of the knowledge base. Online delivery was considered the most promising way of implementing a national program. Lack of university support for such a model was the major barrier. State education agencies need to know more precisely the components of such a model before making a commitment. (TD)

Quality education is dependent in large measure on the supply of qualified teachers. Each year, the number of students enrolled in the nation's schools increases, and the shortage of teachers grows. Traditional teacher preparation programs currently do not produce enough educators to meet the needs of school districts. The shortage is particularly acute in areas such as special education. This project is designed to deliver professional development and special education courses through the Internet to students enrolled in an alternative teacher certification program. Delivery of courses through technology serves to reduce obstacles to program completion. Results of state-mandated competency testing indicate that the performance of students who participated in the project exceeded that of students who did not participate in the project. Results confirm the effectiveness of courses delivered using technology and have implications for expanding this mode of delivery. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/SM)

This study examined the personality types of emergency certification teachers as predictors of classroom management and self-efficacy beliefs. Participants were 120 teachers pursuing teacher certification through an emergency permit teacher education program at a mid-sized Texas university. They all held at least a Bachelor's degree, were in their first year of teaching, and were pursuing teacher certification. All were assigned to a public school mentor. Each respondent completed a demographic form and three questionnaires: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Attitudes and Beliefs on Classroom Control Inventory, and the Hoy and Woolfolk (1993) Revised Teacher Efficacy Scale. Data analysis indicated that there was a limited relationship between personality and classroom management and efficacy beliefs. For the small effect observed, however, extraversion versus introversion was the salient personality variable, and relationships were in expected directions. Marginal score reliabilities may have attenuated the observed effects. Emergency certification teachers tended to be more extraverted, and they also tended to report higher teaching efficacy. (Contains 27 references.) (SM)