Teacher Education Initiative Web-Based Research & Report Series

Overview

The purpose of the Research & Report series of the Teacher Education Initiative (TEI) is to disseminate knowledge that will inform attempts to improve teacher education in universities and in other settings in which teachers are prepared. Because knowledge gaps attend nearly every aspect of teacher education, we seek to support and distribute findings from studies of a broad array of phenomena related to the professional preparation of teachers, including the characteristics of instructors and students in teacher education, the curriculum for learning to teach, and the multiple environments in which teacher preparation takes place. We are particularly interested in the results of design experiments that aim to identify and describe effective methods of preparing students to do the work of teaching, and in long-term evaluations of tools and programs in teacher education. Also welcome are reports from investigations of the process of change in university-based teacher education, and of program structures across settings that support the teaching and learning of instructional practice.

We intend studies associated with the TEI to inform not only researchers, but also teacher educators, staff members in teacher education programs, K-12 teachers, and policy-makers.

Format and Content Guidelines

The goal of the Teacher Education Initiative is to develop professional education that will prepare novices to do the complex relational, psychological, social, and intellectual work of teaching. Articles and reports published through the TEI’s Research & Report Series should inform this goal and should correspond with one or more identified areas of work on the Initiative. Prospective authors should consult the website of the TEI (www.soe.umich.edu/tei) or a member of the TEI’s Steering Group to determine the appropriateness of a particular article or report for submission.

Research articles and reports published by the TEI fall into three main categories:

Working Papers: Working papers are relatively long (25-35 pages) and reflect some sophistication in design and methodology. They might be works-in-progress that will eventually become journal articles. The goal of publishing working papers is to spark debate and discussion among the teacher education research and practice communities over the questions and work of the writer, and to inform current problems in designing practice-based teacher education. The resulting discussion may also assist the author in improving the research and resulting written products.

Working papers might report on studies that investigate some aspect of the following topics:

The relative impact of two or more programs of teacher education on student teachers’ learning and/or on the academic performance of K-12 pupils.
The relative impact of a particular segment (i.e. a course or other learning experience, a particular instructional strategy, etc.) of a teacher education program on student teachers’ learning.
The articulation of a coherent program of practice-based teacher education in one or more academic content areas.
Effects of an approach to prepare teachers for work in under-resourced or culturally diverse settings.
Efforts to assess and track student teachers’ development of skills of practice.

Reports: Reports are shorter than working papers (10-20 pages) and need not be based on empirical research. They may include literature reviews or other relatively short syntheses of ideas and information. The purpose of publishing a report may be to inform specific problems in teacher education or to invite additional ideas and comments.

Reports should contribute to the solution of a specific problem in teacher education through conceptual analysis of central ideas (e.g., learning in and from practice; rehearsal of practice; working with diverse learners), articulation and analysis of different perspectives; identification and discussion of a core challenge (e.g., relating teachers’ practice to their effectiveness with students).

Policy Briefs: Policy briefs are short (8 pages maximum) and direct, with non-technical writing. They are intended to inform policy-related debates and discussion, and to serve the needs of state and local education authorities, legislative assistants, and elected officials. [Please note: The TEI is not currently accepting policy briefs for publication.]

Craft Packages: Craft packages offer usable products based on innovations or practices in any aspect of teacher education. They include a careful discussion of the goals of the innovation or practice, detailed description of how it is used and implemented, artifacts and other tools used, and evidence from actual use. Of particular interest are innovations and practices related to the core areas of the Teacher Education Initiative, including recruitment, subject matter for teaching, teaching practice, and practice-based work related to equity, assessment, or the development of professional ethics.

Oversight Committee

Submissions to the TEI Research & Report series are submitted blind, and reviewed by an oversight committee consisting of University of Michigan School of Education faculty and staff members. Membership in the oversight committee is rotating, and always includes at least three faculty members, one member of the TEI Steering Group, and one member of the teacher education staff. We aim to expand membership in the oversight committee to at least one faculty member from another university, program, or research firm within one year.

Submission Procedures

Submissions to the TEI Research & Report series should be sent to Terri Ridenour ( voskuhlt@umich.edu). Each submission should include a cover page containing the author’s (or authors’) full name(s) and contact information, the date of submission, and working title. The author’s (authors’) name(s) should not appear anywhere on subsequent pages. Each submission should include a 100-300 word abstract.

Please click here (coming soon) for a list of currently available papers, reports, and craft packages.