Wayne Dumas

State Standards for the Licensure of Secondary Social Studies Teachers

Abstract Early in the 1980s, a study was conducted by the authors of the status of standards for the initial licensure of secondary social studies teachers in the fifty states. Following the intrusion of a number of highly publicized efforts directed toward the reform of teacher education, a follow-up study was conducted during the winter of 1988–89. The follow-up study surprisingly reveals no general efforts by state education agencies to expand the general education component of teacher education programs and equally surprising moves to increase requirements within the professional component, most importantly in the area of field experiences. Requirements in history and the social sciences have been substantially increased during the decade, though this requirement continues to fall far short of NCSS standards. The behavioral sciences appear to play a lesser role in the history/social science component than at the beginning of the decade.

Standards for Elementary Teacher Certification: A Fifty State Study.

and, both directly and by inference, criticism of programs and standards for teacher preparation. The commission concludes that too many teacher candidates today are being drawn from among the least able high school graduates. Furthermore, the report indicates that elementary teachers are prepared for certification by programs that require primarily educational methods courses at the expense of courses in subjects to be taught (National Commission on Excellence in Education

Social Studies in French Schools.

STUDYING French schools and social and political education is a great deal like observing a collage in which the ancient and traditional are everywhere interlaced with the new and progressive. In fact, one finds it difficult to distinguish clearly the lines separating traditional and progressive, since the two so often meld together and become one. During our observations in French social studies classrooms, we were

College GPA as a Predictor of Teacher Competency: A New Look at an Old Question

AbstractThis study tests two hypotheses: (a) that the statistical relationship between academic success and success in student teaching is largely accounted for by those people in the lower grade point average categories; and (b) that four teacher competency ratings will be related to college grade point average in a pattern similar to that of global ratings of effectiveness. The study, which involved a sample of 170 University of Missouri secondary student teachers, resulted in the acceptance of both hypotheses with qualifications.

Preparation programs leading to licensure in broad‐field social studies at state regional colleges and universities

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the status of preparation programs leading to licensure in broad‐field social studies, grades 7–12, at state regional colleges and universities and the relationship of these programs of study to National Council of Social Studies (NCSS) Standards, state licensure requirements, degree programs of study at state supported major research institutions, and major reports on educational reform. The research found that of the 30 institutions studied only 21 offered degree programs leading to licensure in broad‐field social studies. All 21 institutions exceeded state minimum requirements and although the mean semester hour requirements in general education, professional education, and specialty studies components minimally exceeded the NCSS recommended standards and were similar to those at major research institutions, there was an absence of assurance by institutions that students possessed a depth of understanding in the disciplines within the major. Likewise,...