The Kentucky plan: an innovative approach to professional doctoral education in public health.

The Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) degree is designed to prepare graduates for the highest levels of leadership in public health related careers in both public and private settings. The Kentucky School of Public Health has developed an innovative generalist professional degree program offering an extensive battery of courses based on the body of professional public health knowledge. The degree includes extensive supervised field experience as part of the academic training, linking theory with practice. Issues related to professional degrees, curriculum, accreditation and certification, admission, evaluation, plans for institutional cooperation, and demand are addressed

Educating The Next Generation Of Computer Security Professionals: The Rise And Relevancy Of Professional Certifications

This paper discusses the recent ascent and proliferation of computer security professional certifications.  Based upon the premise that secure information technology not only underpins the current US economy but also represents a pivot point for future economic growth, it highlights the recent phenomenon of many information technology professionals complementing their Computer Science (CS), Information Systems (IS), and Information Technology (IT) degrees with highly specialized certification-based training to secure jobs that help to protect our national IT infrastructure.   It also raises the question as to whether the trend of narrowly-focused specialized training signals a possible shift away from traditional academic computer security programs.  If the present trend continues, the longer-term consequences for traditional academic degree programs could be dramatic.  However, from the short-term perspective of this study, the proliferation of certification programs as a source of supplementary education is viewed as a positive phenomenon, helping to mitigate the disastrous effects associated with the continuous onslaught of domestic- and international-sourced cyber-attacks that threaten our national economic livelihood

A Survey of Elementary and Secondary Music Educators’ Professional Background, Teaching Responsibilities and Job Satisfaction in the United States

The focus of this exploratory study was to examine the current trends of K – 12 music educators in the United States regarding their (a) professional background, (b) classroom teaching responsibilities, and (c) job satisfaction. Participants included seven thousand four hundred and sixty-three (N = 7,463) currently employed music teachers who were members of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) during the 2015 – 2016 academic year. To assess the variables, participants responded to a researcher created 49-item Music Educator Survey for K – 12 Teachers. Results indicate that overall, K – 12 music educators were predominately Caucasian (90.9%) and have been teaching less than 20 years (74.4%). The majority of music teachers hold bachelor’s degrees (98.1%) with 56.2 % holding masters’ degrees. 96.8 % held music teaching certification for their state and work in the public-school systems (89.4%). Overall, music educators were satisfied in their teaching positions indicating reasons related to student engagement and relationships. Results of this study can serve to aid in music education advocacy, designing music teacher professional development, and enhancing the effectiveness of music teacher education programs

Answering the Calls of "What's Next" and "Library Workers Cannot Live by Love Alone" through Certification and Salary Research

Members and staff of the American Library Association (ALA) worked diligently over more than a decade to develop a certification program for public library managers. Spurred by a long-standing trend in many other terminal-degree professions that have post-degree, voluntary certifications, the Certified Public Library Administrator Program was born. Legal authority recommended the establishment of a service organization, a 501(c)(6) to manage the program, which has become one of several programs that will be offered to library employees under the imprimatur of ALA. After the American Library Association???Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) was instituted, advocacy for salary improvement initiatives was appended to the mission. One means of salary advocacy was to improve available data by expanding the scope and usefulness of the ALA Survey of Librarian Salaries, which resulted in the ALA-APA Salary Survey: Non-MLS???Public and Academic, conducted in 2006 and 2007 to collect salary data from more than sixty positions in the field that do not require a master's degree in Library Science. The experience of establishing two certification programs, the Certified Public Library Administrator Program (CPLA??) and the Library Support Staff Certification Program, has been a study in creating new national models of professional development. This article will also discuss the insights that have emerged from fulfilling elements of ALA strategic plans concerning the needs of support staff through certification and the salary survey.published or submitted for publicatio

Career and Technical Education (CTE): A Primer

[Excerpt] Career and technical education (CTE), sometimes referred to as vocational education, provides occupational and non-occupational preparation at the secondary, postsecondary, and adult education levels. As defined in a publication by the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CTE prepares students for roles outside the paid labor market, teaches general employment skills, and teaches skills required in specific occupations or careers. The definition distinguishes CTE from liberal arts or academic education: the fine arts, English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, and the humanities. A CTE curriculum is often designed to have a post-education practical application and develop broadly applicable skills. Academic educational courses are often designed to develop subject matter knowledge and broadly applicable skills

Transition to Teaching: An Alternative Certification Program through Partnership Between a Public School District and a Public University

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has had a significant impact on licenses for teachers working in school programs. The act refers to highly qualified teachers in both Title I and Title ll. This paper defines alternative certification programs. This paper then describes a partnership, funded by the US. Department of Education, between a school district and a university to establish an alternative licensure program to train highly qualified secondary mathematics teachers.The goal of this partnership is to provide an infrastructure that supports the recruitment. preparation, placement, induction, and retention of highly qualified teachers through a new alternative route to teacher licensure. In addition, this paper discusses processes and procedures used in the project in light of the literature. lt discusses how candidates were selected for the project, strategies used to meet the competencies for licensure, and assessment of candidates

Teacher Professional Development: A Primer for Parents and Community Members

Quality teachers are the single greatest determinant of student achievement. Teacher education, ability, and experience account for more variation in student achievement than all other factors. Studies have found that 40 to 90 percent of the difference in student test scores can be attributed to teacher quality. Knowing the subject matter, understanding how students learn, and practicing effective teaching methods translate into greater student achievement. Therefore, it is vitally important that teachers be well prepared when they begin teaching and that they continue to improve their knowledge and skills throughout their careers

A Matter of Degrees: Preparing Teachers for the Pre-K Classroom

Reviews the research on how pre-K teacher preparation affects learning and program quality. Explores the potential costs and benefits of raising preparation standards, expected challenges, and strategies states and localities have used to address them