At a recent meeting of instructional supervisors, I urged them to add one, simple line to a newly revised lesson plan template required for use by teacher candidates at the university.

It read:

What accommodations will you make for students identified as gifted and have an EP (educational plan)?

I asked colleagues to include this on the lesson plan template under the section of “accommodations” for students.

Before I made this request, the section...

In Florida, passing teacher certification exams—or more accurately, not passing-has become somewhat of a crisis.  According to news reports, some 1,000 teachers were fired this summer after failing to pass sections of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE). State legislators are examining the tests after a revision of the exam led to increased failure rates. It appears teachers in other states are also struggling. In North Carolina, nearly 2,400 teachers failed to pass the math...

Becoming a teacher can be as stressful or even more stressful than serving in the actual job.

Teacher candidates must complete rigorous coursework, and if enrolled in a clinical program, must also spend time in the classroom as interns. This adds another layer of pressure as they balance assignments and projects along with being formally observed in classroom settings. Not to mention, developmentally, many teacher candidates are at an age where they are just entering adulthood,...