In a local middle school, students were not meeting standards on the state mathematics tests. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore mathematics teachers' perspectives on effective mathematics instruction vis-Ã -vis the principles of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Within this framework, the 6 principles in the creation of quality mathematics programs included equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and technology. Seven teachers from around the country participated; all met the criteria of a graduate degree in education, at least 5 years of experience teaching adolescent learners, and at least 3 years teaching mathematics. Participants were surveyed about their perspectives using a modified Delphi method. In Round 1, they listed practices that they believed were helpful in all NCTM content standards. In Round 2, they ranked all of the practices and provided rationales. In Round 3, they viewed Round 2 rankings/rationale and then rated the practices a last time. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze Round 1; descriptive analysis was used to analyze ranking data from Rounds 2 and 3. The results revealed the most effective instructional practices for middle school mathematics in each of the NCTM content standards. With that information, a training plan was developed to give local mathematics teachers a tool with which to analyze their instructional practices and then integrate the effective ones based on the modified Delphi study results to improve their students' achievement. Implications for positive social change include providing the local site with a research-based teacher training plan to improve mathematics instruction and potentially improve student achievement.

The problem for the study was the lack of research on the effect of the empirical replication technique on student closedmindedness. The replication technique requires the student to repeat, or replicate, studies originally conducted by social scientists. In this sense, replication is roughly analogous for the social sciences to what laboratory experiments are for the natural sciences. Additionally, the relationship between college student adjustment-maladjustment and open-closedmindedness were explored while controlling for sex and academic achievement. The control group (N•61) attended two lectures and a discussion section per week which dealt with introductory social science materials. The experimental group (N•BS) was exposed to the normal instruction plus performing empirical replications. The data were analyzed using three stages of statistical analysis; Pearson product-moment correlations, two-way analysis of variance, and covariance. The difference between the posttest dogmatism means of replication and control students was not significant at the .05 level. However, the null hypothesis preducting no difference between maladjusted and nonmaladjusted subjects mean posttest D-Scale scores was rejected at the .01 level of significance, Although the replication control group posttest difference was not significant at the .05 level, the reduction in mean pre to post D-Scale mean scores for the experimental group was twice the reduction for the control group and would have been significant with alpha set at .10. These findings lead to the conclusion that although its effect was not statistically significant in this study, the replication technique may still hold educational promise meriting further research.

This is an historical study depicting how California came to adopt the requirement of a fifth year of preparation for secondary teachers. It is hoped that through a better understanding of such a milestone event those interested in teacher education will be able to view current educational problems with greater insight. This insight should include the knowledge that California's fifth-year requirement, though being the first in the United States, was just one of the steps in the development of better certification in this State and the nation. Through remembering how this one significant event_ the adoption of the fifth-year requirement, occurred in the long evolution of certification, those interested in teacher education should find it easier to understand current and future credentialing regulations and to assess their development.

The purpose of this study was to determine what, if any, relationships exist between beginning teaching effectiveness and patterns of professional preparation. Specific objectives of the study were to: (1) identify the component parts of the preparation of most effective and least effective teachers, (2) determine if such components constituted patterns that can be identified, and (3) determine if such patterns, if present, are related to teaching effectiveness. It was hypothesized that there are no significant relationships between teaching effectiveness and patterns of professional preparation of first·-year elementary school teachers.

Problem. It is the researcher's opinion that most of the educational administrators in Iran have not fully realized the significance of practice teaching programs in developing and providing competent teachers. As a result, there is no planned design, no guidelines, no model to perform and fulfill the practice-teaching experience, i.e., the absence of a consistent program that includes a practice-teaching component. Purpose. The main purpose of this study is to develop a viable practice-teaching program appropriate for teacher preparation in Iran. Procedure. This study is descriptive research that typically employs observation, interview, and survey methods. Observation and tentative design were applied by the researcher at Teacher Training Centers in Iran in 1970. Interviews and surveys were arranged in selected California educational institutions. These institutions included: (a) two University of California (UC) campuses, (b) two California State University (CSU) campuses, and (c) a private college and a university. Findings. In California, the Ryan Act requires: (1) full-day student teaching for one full public-school semester; (2) a student teaching assignment at two different levels; (3) one student teaching assignment must be in a school where the ethnic population is significantly different from that of the student teacher. In the student teaching process, there are three main interrelated agents: (1) student teacher, (2) co-operating teacher, and (3) University or College supervisor. Preparation of competent teachers is mainly based on the result of the functions of these three agents. Conclusion. Practice-teaching, according to the proposed model for Iran, can be defined as a gradual induction process that includes six interrelated phases: (1) observing, (2) participating, (3) assistant teaching, (4) bit teaching, (5) initial teaching, and concentrated teaching. Recommendations. An effective division with an organizational structure for practice-teaching prorams should be devised. (1) An affiliated school on campus with some cooperating schools be chosen. (2) The best teachers for professional education should be selected. (3) The most competent supervisors and cooperating teachers be selected. (4) An adequate practice-teaching committee be established to investigate student-teacher competencies. (5) Regular conferences with supervisors and cooperating teachers be held.

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The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the intersectional awareness of preservice general education teachers as experienced through an internship in an urban, Title 1 funded school. Intersectionality Theory (Boveda, 2016; Crenshaw, 1990; Dill & Zambrana, 2009; Jones & Wijeyesinghe, 2011) was used as a theoretical framework to inform this study. A descriptive phenomenological design (Creswell, 2013; Moustakas, 1994) was used to examine preservice teachers' (PSTs)lived experiences within their teacher preparation program courses and internship. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with preservice general education teachers. Data analysis was completed using Colaizzi's (1978) seven-step process as outlined by Sanders (2003). Thematic analysis resulted in three primary themes around how participants experienced intersectionality in their internship experiences. The primary themes included: (a) Understanding my role and identity as an intern and teacher in an urban, Title 1 funded school; (b) Acknowledging the context of my students and my school; and (c) Serving all students through my knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Data and results from this study inform research, practice, and policy related to intersectionality and its application to teacher education to advance educational equity. This research builds upon the work of scholars committed to enhancing teacher education to develop teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to serve all students.

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