Teacher Licensure Research Articles

Analysis of Stakeholder Perceptions of a Clinical Model Involving Co-Teaching and Extended-Field Experiences in an Inclusive Middle-Grades Setting

A qualitative study of the impact of a school-university partnership in which eight teacher candidates from a two-year graduate program were placed together in a poverty level middle school was conducted. Teacher candidates in this particular program receive a master’s degree, as well as a teaching license in their content area and special education. Using primarily focus group interviews with school leaders, cooperating teachers in special education and content classrooms, and teacher candidates, we wanted to determine the influence of the partnership on all stakeholders. We read transcripts to identify themes and coded by those themes. Later, we tracked the frequency of responses for each theme. We also examined learning gains data for students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and English Language Learners (ELLs) in content rooms in which teacher candidates taught, as well as interviewed a small sampling of middle school students. We found overwhelming support for the partnership across all stakeholders. Most frequently stakeholders noted cooperating teachers’ increased ability to meet the needs of students with learning differences in their inclusive classrooms. This research contributes to the literature on the impact of school-university partnerships and co-teaching and on teaching and learning.

Israeli Ministry of Education’s district managers’ and superintendents’ role as educational leaders—implementing the new policy for teachers’ professional development

In Israel, the Ministry of Education determines all aspects of educational policy, including teachers’ initial teacher education, licensing and professional development. As part of the New Horizon educational reform, the Ministry announced in 2010 a new plan for the professional development of teachers in Israel. The Ministry assigned a mediating role to its district managers and superintendents, placing them in charge of introducing and implementing this policy. The current study describes the findings of a qualitative, narrative-based research, which examined the attitudes of 25 Ministry of Education district managers and superintendents regarding the implementation of the new professional development policy. Interviewees noted both the major advantages of this policy, e.g. organizing the professional development process and including all of the teachers, as well as its many disadvantages, e.g. overburdening the teachers, the lack of high-quality teacher trainers, etc. This study sheds light on the process of implementing a top-down reform in teachers’ professional development. Moreover, it sheds light on the main tasks of superintendents as educational leaders.

A Collective Self-Study to Improve Program Coherence of Clinical Experiences

Student feedback collected through program evaluation of secondary education licensure and Master’s program clinical experiences prompted us to conduct a collective self-study. We used a reflective framework for analysis and discussion of the shifts students in our courses made as they progressed from observers to practicing teachers. Along with our graduate students, we collected and shared data and analysis from two courses – an introductory mathematics course for pre-service teachers and a capstone self-study teacher research course for in-service teachers. Data included students’ reflective accounts of their clinical experiences, dialogue with peers in response memos and focus groups, and our meta-conversation about and interpretations of data captured in meeting notes, audio recordings of meetings, email exchanges, and video conferencing over a two-month period. Analysis resulted in reframed thinking about our teaching and implications for program coherence, including provision of meaningful participant observations in diverse settings, design of dialogic platforms for students to make connections, and support of a critical level of reflection to inform teacher professional practice. The results are informative to teacher educators and programs seeking to better understand their roles in designing dialogic spaces for students to think deeply about the connections of their courses to clinical experiences and in supporting ongoing teacher professional development. The study highlights the benefits of faculty collective self-studies and contributes to the literature on self-study for program development.

Shall We Overcome? Self-Efficacy, Teacher Licensure Exams, and African American Preservice Teachers

ABSTRACTThis article reports findings from a 3-year qualitative study exploring the experiences of African American preservice teachers as they prepared for the Praxis “basic skills” teacher-licensure exam, a gatekeeper to many teacher-education programs. Using the construct of self-efficacy, results illustrate how students assess their Praxis capabilities from (a) previous mastery or failure experiences with other standardized tests and classes from college to elementary school and (b) vicarious experiences from African American students, friends, and family members. The article provides recommendations to prepare students for preprofessional examinations such as Praxis that often limit the numbers of African American teachers eligible for certification.

Educational Psychology’s Instructional Challenge: Pre-service Teacher Concerns Regarding Classroom-Level Data-Driven Decision-Making

Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) is a difficult topic to cover, but typically required, in the applied educational psychology course or other courses required for teacher licensure in the United States. While a growing body of literature indicates in-service teachers are resistant to DDDM and underprepared to engage in it, little has been done to understand pre-service teachers while they are still in the ideal arena in which to address resistance and subsequently build DDDM skills. The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service teachers’ affective response to the classroom-level DDDM via their concerns profile ( n = 78). Participants’ concerns profile revealed that much like in-service teacher literature suggests, this sample of pre-service teachers were resistant to learning more about DDDM, believed they knew of better innovations for use, and are unlikely to use DDDM in their future classrooms. The findings provide important insight for those of us tasked with covering this topic in our educational psychology courses.

DEFINING, ASSESSING AND IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY IN THE USA

The article deals with effective strategies of assessing and improving teacher quality in the USA. At the beginning of the article definitions of teacher quality are provided. Thus, the characteristics of “highly qualified teacher” are: having a bachelor’s degree, being licensed by the state, demonstrating subject matter competence, while the characteristics of “exemplary” teachers are: recognition of administration and colleagues, contribution to professional development of other teachers, developing curricula, creating learning environment which enhances students’ achievements. It is highlighted that there is a tendency fоr developing teachers’ standards based on students’ outcomes. Mentoring, continual professional development, observing and evaluating teaching performance are considered to be vital prerequisites of teacher quality. The article introduces detailed analysis of reasons for low status of teachers in the USA: the ones connected with normal schools evolvement into universities, with the position of teachers in society and the nature of teaching profession itself. The best strategies of assessing and improving teacher quality are identified: large-scale surveys, classroom observation, written examinations of teachers, student performance and achievement. It is stated that in order to meet the requirements of accountability, the emphasis is put on the continuous assessment which allows revision and improvement of academic university programs. University faculty members, internal and external experts are central in defining and assessing teacher quality. Much attention is paid to licensure as a prerequisite to teacher quality assurance, as well as to developing performance-based tests like Praxis III. Raising entry standards, reducing licensure differences between states, inclusion of clinical experience as a condition of program approval and teacher licensure are necessary for improving teacher quality in the USA. Prospects of further investigation are peculiarities of the Praxis assessment and its impact on teacher quality.

English

Physical education teacher education (PETE) programs vary on how the topics of safe teaching and risk management are addressed. Common practices to cover such issues include requiring textbooks, lesson planning, peer teaching, videotaping, reflecting, and reading case law analyses. We used a mixed methods design to examine how risk management is addressed in APE textbooks using a validated Risk Management Inventory as a guide. We analyzed nine APE textbooks. We performed content analyses using a Risk Management Inventory to assess content pertaining to risk management and safe teaching in APE textbooks. We performed quantitative analyses by computing percentages of content covered under each category of the Risk Management Inventory for each textbook. Percentages ranged from 11.29% to 35.48%. Elements found pertaining to Instruction included updated lesson plans, curriculum guidelines, adaptations and modifications, demonstrations, safety rules, lesson objectives, skill progressions, and instructional feedback. Elements found pertaining to Emergency and Medical Procedures included incident reports, first aid kits, existing medical conditions of students, and emergency action plans. Elements found pertaining to Equipment and Facilities included inspection of and warnings for equipment and facilities, use of equipment, developmentally appropriate equipment, inventories of equipment and facilities, and activities conducted away from hazardous areas. Elements found pertaining to Supervision included supervision of students, offtask behavior, safety rules, and medical notes. Elements found pertaining to Administrative Behaviors included licensure of teachers and communication and posting of guidelines for emergency actions plans as well as emergency exit procedures.

From Unconscious Deficit Views to Affirmation of Linguistic Varieties in the Classroom: White Preservice Teachers on Building Critical Self-Awareness About Linguicism's Causes and Consequences

In this article the author investigates how 20 White preservice teachers, who successfully completed a semester-long diversity course for teacher licensure, developed a critical self-awareness regarding the causes and consequences of linguicism in school settings. The conceptual framework draws from Nieto's 2006 five-level model of Multicultural Education Support to illuminate how White preservice teachers' views toward language diversity shifted from Level 1/Monocultural and Deficit or Level 2/Tolerance mindsets, to frameworks that minimally embraced Level 3/Acceptance of linguistic varieties in the classroom. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study drew from data including a demographic survey, focus groups, instructor-generated reflective journals, one-on-one interviews, and student work samples. This article also offers sample course activities that actively engaged preservice teachers in critical conversations and ongoing reflection about the causes and consequences of linguicism in U.S. schools and society, as well as potential solutions with practical implications for P–12 classrooms.

Digital development of products with NX9 for academical areas

International competitiveness forced the manufacturing enterprises to look for new ways to accelerate the development of digital products through innovation, global alliances and strategic partnerships. In an environment of global research and development of distributed geographically, all members of the joint teams made up of companies and universities need to access updated and accurate information about products created by any of the type employed, student, teacher. Current design processes involve more complex products consisting of elements of design created by multiple teams, disciplines and suppliers using independent CAD systems. Even when using a 3D CAD mature technology, many companies fail to significantly reduce losses in the process, improve product quality or product type to ensure successful innovations to market arouse interest. These challenges require a radical rethinking of the business model, which belongs to the field of design, which must be based on digital development of products based on integrated files. Through this work, the author has proposed to provide both synthesis and transformations brought news of the integrated NX [1, 2, 3] from Siemens PLM Software 9, following a news results detailed documentary study, and personal results obtained by applying the same version, the digital and integrated development of a product type device test beams. Based on educational license received for NX 9 was made a detailed study of the innovations made by this release, and the application of some of them went to graphical modelling and getting all the documentation of a test device bearing beams. Also, were synthesized in terms of methodology, the steps to take to obtain graphical documentation. The results consist of: 3D models of all parts and assembly 3D model of the three-dimensional constraints of all component parts and not least respectively all drawings and assembly drawing. The most important consequence of the paper is the obtaining of integrated files that can be subjected to further analysis type CAE / CAM / PDM software components by the same company. Additional advantages related files by the synthesis of integrated CAD / CAE / CAM / PDM.

Music Teacher Licensure Candidates in the United States

The purpose of this study was to analyze the demographic profile of candidates seeking music teacher licensure in the United States and to understand whether performance on the Praxis II music teacher licensure tests varies systematically as a function of various demographic characteristics. Praxis II music test data and background questionnaire responses, provided by the Educational Testing Service, were analyzed for all examinees from 2007 through 2012 ( N = 20,521). Results showed that music teacher licensure candidates were a highly selected subset of the population. Candidates identified as 86.02% White, 7.07% Black, 1.94% Hispanic, 1.79% Asian, 0.30% Native American/Alaska Native, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 0.82% Multiracial, and 1.74% Other. Compared to various populations of interest with known ethnic/racial compositions, people of color were significantly underrepresented among music teacher licensure candidates, while White people were significantly overrepresented. Analyses of Praxis II music exam scores showed that Praxis II score was significantly associated with race, sex, and other demographic characteristics. Analyses indicated that White candidates earned significantly higher Praxis II scores than did Black candidates and that male candidates earned significantly higher scores than did female candidates. Implications of these results for music teacher education and the diversity of the music teacher workforce are discussed.

Further training for medical specialists in respiratory medicine: how can we improve it?

Young physicians in Germany often criticize the advanced training programme, especially the lack of structure and the insufficient rotations. The Medical Association in each Bundesland/federal state require to include a proposal for advanced training and rotation in a trainer's aplication for an educational license. However, there is no systematic scrutiny of these concepts and therefore the criteria stated outcomes are often only incompletely met. Trainers engage too little in training methods and medical didactics. They rarely evaluate learning outcomes, and structured assessments based on workplace are exceptions. The reasons are deeply rooted in Germany's education system: Resources for specialist training are not provided, and there is no funding for a commitment in continued medical education. In addition, teaching is not assigned a quantifiable value. However, during the last decade awareness has arisen that good training programmes are an important part of quality assurance and the validation of a hospital. Better planning, structuring and evaluation of training programmes is necessary. New learning methods should be incorporated in training programmes. The German Respiratory Society (DGP) wishes to contribute to the improvement of advanced training: for example with "train the trainer" seminars for teachers, with a structured educational course programme for the trainees, with assessments such as the HERMES (Harmonized Education in Respiratory Medicine for European Specialists) exam and with support for the accreditation as a Respiratory Training Centre of the ERS (European Respiratory Society) and EBAP (European Board for Accreditation in Pneumology).

Transforming Pedagogy: Changing Perspectives from Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered

This study used an online-structured interview methodology to examine the impact of an intensive field experience in facilitating problem (PBL) and project-based learning (PjBL) on teachers’ pedagogy. The purpose of the study was to determine to what extent the field experience had transformed their teaching. Data were collected in the form of online interviews with 36 participants who completed the gifted education licensure program at a regional state university in the southeast. The online interviews were followed up with telephone interviews with four of the participants. The resulting themes can be grouped under the major categories of teacher-related and student-related themes. This article will focus on the teacherrelated themes, the most important being the change in the teachers’ pedagogy. The article will further discuss the obstacles that stood in the way of the teachers’ successful implementation of PBL and PjBL.

Building a Teaching Community through Peer Mentoring

This article shares the benefits and challenges of implementing a Peer Mentor Program in a university art and teacher licensure program. It is undeniable that many art teachers in the United States are the only visual arts instructor in their school building. Or, in my case, when I got my first teaching job in a rural Midwestern community, I was the only art teacher in the entire school district. The closest art teacher to me was 13 miles away. For 3 years, I taught in the rural community where my only opportunity to connect with other art teachers within a 50-mile radius were 3 professional development days in March.

PETE Doctoral Institutions: Programs, Faculty, and Doctoral Students

Purpose: The present study of doctoral physical education teacher education (D-PETE) programs was part of a longitudinal study that provided an extensive description of demographics including: (a) doctoral program characteristics, (b) faculty, and (c) doctoral students/graduates. Method: This trend study incorporated 3 data sets (2005–2006, 2008–2009, and 2011–2012) that described the characteristics of D-PETE programs. Academic heads of D-PETE programs provided demographic information on their doctoral students, faculty, and institutional characteristics for the 2005–2006, 2008–2009, and 2011–2012 academic years and selected summary data from 1996–1997 through 2011–2012. Results/Conclusion: As a result of this longitudinal data collection, the following trends were revealed. First, there was a decrease in the number of D-PETE programs and an increase of nontenured and part-time pedagogy faculty. Second, initial teacher licensure programs remained in existence at the vast majority of D-PETE programs. Third, funding for doctoral students at D-PETE programs was decreasing. Fourth, racial composition of doctoral graduates and current doctoral students remained largely skewed toward Caucasians. Fifth, there was a slight decline in the percentage of doctoral graduates entering higher education, but employment rates were exceptionally high. Sixth, non-U.S. doctoral students and ABDs were marketable in the United States.

“Since Feeling is First”: Exploring the Affective Dimension of Teacher Licensure Exams

<p class="normal">Teacher licensure exams directly shape the racial demographics of the teaching profession. This is particularly the case for “basic skills” exams that are program entrance requirements in the United States and expanding into other countries. This qualitative study explored an important yet overlooked dimension of these exams for test takers: emotional and affective states. Specifically, we were interested in the affective dimension of the test-taking event. Our findings reveal a number of positive and negative affective states that both African American and White preservice teachers experience during the exam and the processes of appraisal that produce these states. Our findings also highlight the importance of preparation activities prior the exam to help alleviate negative affective states during the exam. </p>

Teachers’ Perceptions Related to Characteristics of a Professional Environment for Teaching

Background:The purpose of this study was to determine pre-service and in-service science and mathematics teachers’ perceptions of the characteristics of a professional teaching environment. The study further investigated the relationships of field placement contexts and grade levels on pre-service teachers’ perceptions of importance and availability of certain aspects of a professional teaching environment.Materials and methods:The teacher perceptions were assessed using the Professional Environment for Teaching Survey (PETS). The responses reflecting the teacher perceptions of importance were subjected to a principal component analysis and two components were identified. These were Resources for Teaching and Recognition of Teacher Contributions. Data obtained from pre-service teachers who (were) enrolled in a graduate teacher education licensure program at a large Midwestern university and from in-service teachers who were mentors for the pre-service teachers.Results:Correlation and forward stepwise multiple regression analyses of the data suggested that the perceptions of importance and/or availability of those pre-service or in-service teachers with more experience were related to the academic degree they held and the content that they were teaching or expecting to teach.Conclusions:Results for the in-service and pre-service teachers’ perceptions were discussed in terms of characteristics of a professional teaching environment.

Institutional Power: Identity, Politics, and Lived Experiences in the Dance License via Portfolio Process

In this research study, I examined how institutional power affected the experiences of two dance educators attempting to gain their K–12 dance teaching license in Minnesota. My research analyzed the ways in which candidates applying for the portfolio review process constructed, amended, or abandoned their identities as teachers/artists/individuals while completing the process. Using critical discourse analysis to examine interview data collected in the study, I sought to better understand how institutional power disrupted the experiences of candidates completing their license via portfolio. My results suggest that participants in the study delegitimized their teaching experience outside of the K–12 context, which challenged their teaching identities and left them feeling powerless during the license via portfolio process. Confusing, inconsistent, and incorrect information provided by the Minnesota Department of Education combined with a lack of support from the state also contributed to their feelings of powerlessness.

How Can Schools of Education Help to Build Educators’ Capacity to Use Data? A Systemic View of the Issue

BackgroundWith the growing emphasis for educators to use data to inform their practice, little has been done to consider the means by which the educators can acquire the requisite data literacy skills. This article provides a context for why schools of education can and must play an important role in preparing teachers to use data.PurposeThis article sought to understand if and how schools of education are preparing teacher candidates to use data effectively or responsibly. The study examined the extent to which schools of education teach stand-alone courses on data-driven decision making or integrate data use concepts into existing courses. It also examined state licensure and certification requirements to determine if and how data use is included in documentation.PopulationA stratified randomized sample of schools of education was drawn with 208 institutions responding, representing a 25.7% response rate.Research DesignThe survey portion of the study consisted of a stratified randomized sample of all schools or departments of education in the United States. The syllabus review was a voluntary part of the survey. The licensure review was a descriptive analysis of every state's documentation for teacher licensure and certification.Findings/ResultsThe survey results indicated that a vast majority of the schools of education reported that they offered a stand-alone data course, and even more integrated data use into existing courses. The syllabus review provided a deeper dive into the course offerings and indicated that the courses were more about assessment literacy than data literacy. The licensure review yielded a plethora of skills and knowledge related to data that are included in state requirements. However, there was wide variation across states in their requirements.ConclusionsEven though schools of education reported that they are teaching about data-driven decision making in their teacher preparation programs, the results indicate that the content is more about assessment literacy than data literacy. This finding is consistent with the often observed conflation of the two constructs. Licensure requirements include both data literacy and assessment literacy, but the emphasis is more on assessment than data. With the increasing emphasis by policy makers on the importance of educators using data, it is essential that schools of education begin to incorporate data concepts into their curricula and that states make explicit the data-related skills and knowledge required for teachers for licensure and certification.

Unintended Consequences: Ohio's Required Retake of the Teacher Licensure Exam for Teachers in Low-Performing Schools

We address Ohio's newly enacted House Bill 153, which requires teachers in low-performing schools to retake the teaching licensure exam. Although we believe that the state legislature was well intended in passing the law, we also believe that the law is dangerous–-it should not be enacted in any further states, and it should be repealed in Ohio. We articulate the classical hallmarks of vocational disciplines that qualify to use the term “profession.” Furthermore, we advocate that Ohio's requiring experienced licensed teachers to retake the certification test affronts education's claim to possess status in belonging to a profession, thereby putting it in danger of being downgraded to the status of a “craft.”

Analyzing Preservice Teachers' Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Development in the Context of a Multidimensional Teacher Preparation Program

In this quantitative study, correlational and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) development of 299 preservice teachers in response to the technology preparation they received during their initial teacher licensure program. Survey data were analyzed to determine the extents to which preservice teachers' knowledge increased in response to technology preparation and to determine the contribution of individual knowledge components, including technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge, to the development of TPACK. Findings revealed that individual knowledge components made statistically significant and unique contributions to preservice teachers' TPACK. Findings from this work help explicate the significant contributions of individual knowledge components to TPACK development and have implications for teacher preparation programs on the use of technology.