Factors Associated with Successful High School Distance Education Programs.

The purposes of this research project were to identify the extent to which online courses are available to high school students in Tennessee, to describe the characteristics of current online programs, to identify barriers to the implementation of online courses in school systems that are not currently offering such programs, and to offer recommendations that could facilitate implementation of these programs. The research went in two directions. A study of past and current online educational programs was completed in order to learn the nature of successful programs across the country. Then, a survey was constructed and sent to appropriate technology personnel in Tennessee schools to evaluate both their current online programs and to determine those needed in the state. There are only two school systems in Tennessee that allow students to earn online credits to be used towards high school graduation. One is a larger school system and the other is a medium sized school system; both are in the eastern region of the state. One survey respondent summed it up by saying: I really think the State Department of Education should step up and provide some direction. Florida has a vanguard program; I’d like to see the same type of program implemented in Tennessee. If individual school districts are left to design their own programs, then there is going to be a lot of duplicated effort, a wide range of implementation strategies, and varying degrees of quality. That’s likely to breed confusion and disillusionment

Mentoring and assessing student teachers on school placement: Integrating theory and practice

This paper examines the extent to which School Placement (SP) maximizes opportunities for integrating theory and practice in student teachers’ professional learning. Part of a larger project (Hall et al, 2018) the paper is based on a four-year longitudinal study, commissioned by the Teaching Council of Ireland, of a new policy initiative in which teacher educators are required to work in partnership with schools to equip student teachers to teach critically and reflectively. The paper briefly summarizes the current policy in Ireland against relevant international literature on SP. The main part of the paper analyses evidence on mentoring and assessment, and the respective roles adopted by Higher Education Institution (HEI) tutors and school-based staff, highlighting some alignments and tensions in these roles. It discusses the variability of experience and the implications for maximising the fit between theory and practice in the experience of the student teacher