The protocol, published in PLOS One by Gerardo Urra-Barra, Graciela Acevedo, Erich Leighton-Vallejos, Víctor Ruiz-González, and Camila Díaz-Ibáñez, does not yet report findings. Instead, it lays out a rigorous blueprint for a systematic synthesis of existing literature, registered in advance on the Open Science Framework to ensure transparency and traceability. The registered protocol, under registration number 10.17605/OSF.IO/UTR6V, specifies the methodology, inclusion criteria, search strategy, and analysis plan that the final review will follow, offering the research community a chance to scrutinize the approach before any results emerge.

At the heart of the review is a concept known as practice-based teacher education, or PBTE. Rather than treating teaching as a body of theory to be absorbed in lecture halls before any real contact with students, PBTE argues that professional learning should be constructed through authentic, situated teaching experiences that integrate pedagogical theory, disciplinary knowledge, and classroom action. The approach implies a substantial transformation in how initial teacher education programs are designed, particularly in relation to mentoring practices and the articulation between universities and schools. Instead of primarily theoretical or didactic preparation, PBTE promotes the active participation of pre-service teachers in simulated teaching, analysis of real classroom practices, guided mentorship from experienced educators, and systematic processes of critical reflection.

The Chilean context gives this protocol particular urgency. Alternative teaching certification programs have expanded rapidly within the Chilean tertiary education system, defined by the country’s National Accreditation Commission as formalized pathways offering study continuity to individuals who already hold a prior professional or technical degree, recognizing work experience and knowledge acquired within the school system. These programs connect prior learning with the completion of a bachelor’s degree in education and a specific disciplinary teaching certification. Yet their growth raises challenges for quality assurance, especially under current regulations in which accreditation is required to enroll new students. Chilean regulators currently lack an evidence base on how practice-based components should be designed and implemented in these programs, a gap the review is explicitly intended to fill.

Methodologically, the review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews, as outlined in the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis, and will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, the international standard for transparent reporting of scoping reviews. Data extraction and synthesis will be structured around the JBI Participants, Concept, and Context analytical framework, commonly abbreviated as PCC. This framework allows reviewers to organize evidence around who is being studied, what concept is being examined, and in what context the phenomenon occurs, providing a coherent analytical spine for a body of literature that is otherwise scattered across disciplines and countries.

The search strategy is deliberately precise. Systematic database searches will be conducted in Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus, two databases selected because they offer the broadest interdisciplinary coverage of peer-reviewed literature in education and the social sciences, support advanced Boolean search logic, and together index the large majority of high-impact journals in teacher education research. The search strings are structured in three thematic blocks covering PBTE terminology, initial teacher education, and alternative certification programs, crossed using the AND operator. Studies published between 2009 and 2025 will be included, a window chosen because it corresponds to the emergence and consolidation of practice-based approaches in teacher education, particularly the development of models such as core practices and high-leverage practices. Publications must be written in English, Spanish, or Portuguese, reflecting the linguistic competencies of the research team, although the language of program implementation itself is not restricted.

Inclusion criteria are equally carefully specified. On the participants side, studies must involve teacher candidates and teacher educators in programs explicitly defined by their authors as alternative teaching certification programs, directed at people who already hold a prior academic or professional qualification. Studies reporting only on traditional initial teacher education, involving candidates without such prior qualifications, will be excluded. On the concept side, a program will be considered PBTE-aligned if it explicitly incorporates at least one of three processes described by Grossman and colleagues: representation of practice, decomposition of practice, or approximation of practice, implemented in a structured and recurring manner within the program design. No restrictions apply to program length, disciplinary area, or intended education level.

The review will also cast a wide net over study types. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs, analytical observational studies including cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional designs, descriptive observational studies, and qualitative approaches such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, qualitative description, and action research will all be considered. Notably, opinion pieces and reflective articles will also be included, a decision the authors justify by pointing out that PBTE within alternative certification is an emerging area in which much of the available knowledge is still expressed through expert commentary and practitioner reflection rather than empirical studies. During data charting, these sources will be flagged by type and synthesized separately from empirical studies in the narrative synthesis, a safeguard against mixing evidence of very different strength.

Screening and extraction will follow established best practices for evidence synthesis. All citations will be imported into Rayyan, a systematic screening tool, with duplicates removed automatically. Before full-scale screening, a pilot test with four purposively selected articles will confirm inter-rater agreement on the eligibility criteria; an agreement rate below 75 percent will trigger joint discussion between reviewers and, if necessary, revision of the criteria. The authors candidly acknowledge that four articles constitute a limited pilot sample given the conceptual complexity of PBTE, and they commit to treating recurring disagreements during early full screening as an informal extension of the pilot phase. Titles and abstracts will then be assessed independently by at least two reviewers, with full-text assessment conducted independently by two reviewers and discrepancies resolved by consensus or a third reviewer. Data will be extracted independently by two or more reviewers using a purpose-built tool aligned with the PCC framework, piloted and refined before full extraction, with all modifications documented and justified in the final review.

The significance of this protocol extends well beyond Chile. Alternative certification routes are expanding as a workforce strategy across multiple countries facing comparable teacher shortage pressures, and the review aims to synthesize, for the first time, evidence on how practice-based approaches have been conceptualized and implemented specifically within this type of program. The final review will examine program duration, mentoring structures, practicum design, institutional type, teaching strategies, and reported outcomes, presenting results through descriptive tables, graphical representations, thematic maps, and a narrative synthesis organized around the PCC framework. The authors also acknowledge the limitations inherent in their design, including the restriction to two databases, the modest pilot sample, the heterogeneity introduced by including opinion pieces, and the absence of formal quality appraisal, which is standard for scoping reviews. By mapping the breadth of available evidence rather than judging its robustness, the review is positioned as the essential first synthesis step in a field still under development, one that could shape how the next generation of career-changing teachers is trained worldwide.

Subject of Research: Education Research

Article Title: Practice-based initial teacher education in alternative teaching certification programs: A scoping review protocol

Article References: Urra-Barra, G., Acevedo, G., Leighton-Vallejos, E., Ruiz-González, V., & Díaz-Ibáñez, C. (2026). Practice-based initial teacher education in alternative teaching certification programs: A scoping review protocol. PLOS One, 21(10), e0360047. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360047

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360047

Keywords: teacher education, alternative certification, practice-based teacher education, scoping review, teacher shortage, PLOS One, Chile, mentoring, practicum, evidence synthesis, career changers, research protocol

The study, led by Andrew Perry, a senior lecturer in educational studies at The Ohio State University, together with co-author Eric Anderman, a professor of educational psychology and vice provost for regional campuses, drew on national survey data collected during the 2020–21 school year. The dataset covered 5,550 teachers spanning pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and was conducted in collaboration with the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on Violence Against Teachers and School Personnel. The results were published in the peer-reviewed journal Educational Researcher, adding a rigorous quantitative foundation to a growing body of work on why teachers stay in classrooms and why they walk away.

The researchers zeroed in on a specific and consequential outcome: teachers’ intentions to transfer schools or quit teaching altogether. That focus matters because intentions are a powerful predictor of behavior. Prior research indicates that roughly one-third of educators who say they want to leave actually do so within a year, meaning that every measure of turnover intention represents a leading indicator of real attrition. With schools across the United States contending with an ongoing teacher shortage, understanding what pushes intention into action has taken on genuine urgency for policymakers and administrators alike.

At the heart of the study is a carefully defined concept of administrative support. The researchers did not measure vague feelings of goodwill. Instead, they focused on transparency and communication, such as whether teachers feel safe and comfortable raising matters of discipline with their principals, and on a broader belief that school administrators will back teachers up when a disciplinary incident occurs. This operational definition captures the day-to-day relational fabric of a school: whether the adults in charge are perceived as allies who will act, or as authorities who may look the other way.

The scale of student victimization reported in the sample was striking. Forty-four percent of educators said they had experienced victimization from students, and up to 80 percent reported facing verbal or threatening aggression. Against that backdrop, the statistical analysis revealed a clear pattern: supportive leadership is widely protective against teacher burnout, but student-directed violence acts as a critical tipping point. At high levels of violence, the protective benefits of principal support were systematically weakened, eroding the very mechanism that administrators rely on to keep their staff engaged and committed.

Perry said the results matched the team’s expectations. “Our hypotheses were largely supported by the study. What we expected to find, we found,” he said. “Support is beneficial and necessary, but not sufficient. You have to have it, but in the face of victimization, support alone is not enough.” The finding reframes a common assumption in school improvement efforts, namely that better management and warmer relationships between principals and teachers can compensate for a hostile classroom environment. The data indicate they cannot, at least not when violence is pervasive.

The study also sheds light on the nature of the violence itself. Prior research shows that teachers on the front lines of schools are most susceptible to non-physical violence from students, including verbal threats, obscene remarks, and slurs. Perry described this as “a demoralizing, sobering day-to-day reality” and noted the corrosive effect of feeling abandoned. “If a teacher feels they are in an environment where this stuff is ignored, and they have nobody to turn to, it becomes toxic to their well-being, and they want to get away,” he said. In other words, the absence of support amplifies the harm of victimization, even if the presence of support cannot fully neutralize it.

One of the study’s more unexpected findings concerned grade level. Elementary school teachers reported being victimized more often than their secondary school peers, a pattern Perry attributes to younger children’s lower capacity for self-regulation, which makes them more likely to lash out through hitting, biting, throwing objects, or screaming. “Teachers sign up for the job, but dealing with young children presenting these behaviors is challenging,” he said. “School principals being present and showing support is a necessary component, but systematic strategies are required alongside it.” The observation complicates popular assumptions that classroom danger is primarily a secondary school problem.

The new findings build on earlier work by Perry and colleagues. In a 2024 paper published in the journal School Psychology, the team evaluated the strategies schools actually use to prevent violence and reached an unfavorable verdict on two of the most common approaches. Zero-tolerance policies and so-called school hardening measures, such as upgraded physical security and surveillance systems, do not work, the researchers found. “The most effective strategies are restorative, prevention-based approaches that build a climate of mutual respect, safety and integrity,” Perry said. That conclusion points toward investments in relationships and school culture rather than hardware and punitive rules as the most promising route to safer classrooms.

The broader implications extend well beyond individual school buildings. “Violence against teachers is real, pervasive and impactful. When teachers are victimized, they want to leave,” Perry said, warning that attrition triggers cascading consequences: schools lose experienced veteran teachers, replacing them is expensive, and students end up with less experienced instruction. The researchers concluded that administrators do influence teachers’ perceptions of school safety, their anxiety and stress, and their retention intentions, but that administrator support must be combined with positive and clear discipline policies, effective violence prevention initiatives that include all stakeholders, and systemic improvements in school culture and climate. “Teachers are human beings who need support not only from principals, but from parents and the public as well,” Perry said. The study was supported by the American Psychological Association, with additional co-authors including Linda A. Reddy of Rutgers University, Andrew Martinez of Hunter College, Susan D. McMahon of DePaul University, Ron A. Astor of the University of California, Los Angeles, Frank C. Worrell of the University of California, Berkeley, and Dorothy L. Espelage of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Subject of Research: How principal support and student victimization affect teacher stress and retention

Article Title: Principal support helps teachers, but isn’t enough to stop turnover from classroom violence

Article References: Principal support helps teachers, but isn’t enough to stop turnover from classroom violence. (n.d.). Original publication

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: teacher retention, principal support, school violence, student victimization, teacher burnout, Educational Researcher, Ohio State University, American Psychological Association, school discipline, teacher shortage, school climate, violence prevention

The scale of the planned investigation is considerable. Researchers will analyze data drawn from nearly 2,500 public schools and 115 school districts, giving the study coverage that spans virtually the entire landscape of public education in North Carolina. Alongside this large-scale quantitative analysis, the team will conduct interviews with more than 120 special education teachers and school leaders. This combination of breadth and depth is deliberate: administrative data can reveal patterns in staffing, turnover and resource allocation across hundreds of campuses, but only the people living those patterns can explain what workload, support and resources actually feel like from inside a classroom.

At the heart of the study are three interlocking factors that the researchers have identified as central to the special education workforce crisis: workload, administrative support, and school- and district-level resources. Each of these is deceptively simple to name and extraordinarily difficult to measure well. Workload for a special education teacher extends far beyond instructional hours. It includes the preparation and legal compliance demanded by Individualized Education Programs, the federally mandated documents that outline customized learning plans for each student with a disability. It includes coordination with general education teachers, therapists, families and outside specialists, along with the documentation burden that accompanies every service a student is entitled to receive.

Administrative support, the second pillar of the study, has long been recognized in the education research literature as a decisive factor in whether teachers remain in their posts. Principals and district leaders set the tone for how special education staff are valued, how conflicts over caseloads are resolved, and whether educators have access to mentoring, planning time and professional development tailored to their specialized roles. Yet the mechanisms by which support translates into retention are poorly understood, particularly in special education, where the demands on teachers differ sharply from those on their general education colleagues. By interviewing school leaders alongside teachers, the UNC-Chapel Hill team aims to capture both sides of that relationship.

The third factor, resources at the school and district level, encompasses everything from staffing ratios and access to paraprofessionals to the availability of appropriate classroom spaces, assistive technology and funding for specialized services. Resource allocation in special education is shaped by a complex web of federal statutes, state funding formulas and local budget decisions, and disparities between districts can be stark. A rural district with a small tax base may face very different constraints than a suburban system, even when both are bound by the same federal obligations to provide a free appropriate public education to students with disabilities. Examining 115 districts side by side offers the researchers an opportunity to see how those structural differences play out in the day-to-day working lives of teachers.

The ultimate stakes of the research extend well beyond the teachers themselves. The study explicitly connects working conditions to outcomes for students with disabilities, a population that federal law guarantees specialized educational services but that continues to experience achievement gaps and uneven access to qualified instruction. When a special education teacher leaves a school mid-year, students with disabilities often bear the brunt of the disruption: IEPs may go unimplemented, services may be delayed, and the trust that families build with a knowledgeable educator can evaporate overnight. Chronic turnover in these positions therefore represents not just a human resources problem but a civil rights and equity concern with measurable consequences for children.

North Carolina provides an instructive setting for this work. The state’s public school system is large and diverse, encompassing dense urban districts, sprawling suburban systems and rural counties where a single special education teacher may serve multiple schools or an exceptionally wide range of disabilities and grade levels. Studying nearly 2,500 schools within a single state system offers a rare degree of policy consistency, since all districts operate under the same state framework while retaining local discretion over budgets, staffing and support structures. That variation within a common system is precisely what allows researchers to isolate which conditions matter most for retention, rather than confounding the analysis with differences in state law or certification requirements.

The five-year timeline signals that the research team intends to move beyond a snapshot. Workforce conditions in schools are not static: they shift with budget cycles, policy changes, demographic trends and the broader labor market, all of which influence whether trained special educators choose to enter, remain in or leave the field. A multi-year design allows the researchers to observe how changes in workload or leadership affect retention over time, and to track whether improvements in working conditions produce corresponding gains in the educational experiences of students with disabilities. Longitudinal evidence of this kind is what policymakers need if they are to design interventions that actually work, rather than one-time bonuses or recruitment campaigns that fail to address the underlying conditions driving people out of the profession.

The collaboration between EPID and the FPG Child Development Institute reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the problem. EPID brings expertise in education policy analysis and the use of large-scale administrative data to answer questions about schools and staffing, while FPG has spent decades conducting research on child development, early intervention and services for people with disabilities. Combining policy analytics with disability-focused developmental science is well suited to a question that spans both worlds: the organizational health of schools as workplaces and the developmental and educational needs of the children those schools serve. The involvement of more than 120 teachers and school leaders as interviewees also ensures that the lived expertise of practitioners informs the interpretation of the quantitative record.

For the field at large, the findings could arrive at a moment of acute national need. Special education positions are among the hardest to staff in American schools, and shortages have been reported across states for years, forcing districts to rely on emergency certifications, unqualified assignments or cascading caseloads for the teachers who remain. Rigorous evidence about which working conditions most strongly predict whether special educators stay, and how those conditions relate to the quality of education received by students with disabilities, could give state and district leaders concrete levers to pull. Whether the answer lies in rebalancing caseloads, restructuring administrative support, or targeting resources to the schools where they make the greatest difference, the UNC-Chapel Hill study is designed to replace anecdote with evidence. Over the next five years, the experiences of North Carolina’s special education teachers, captured in data from nearly 2,500 schools and the voices of more than 120 educators, may help shape how the nation supports the people entrusted with teaching its most vulnerable learners.

Subject of Research: Working conditions, retention and student outcomes among North Carolina special education teachers

Article Title: $1.3M grant to examine working conditions for NC special education teachers

Article References: $1.3M grant to examine working conditions for NC special education teachers. (n.d.). Original publication

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: special education, teacher retention, working conditions, North Carolina, UNC-Chapel Hill, education policy, federal grant, workload, administrative support, school resources, students with disabilities, teacher shortage