This book provides an evidentiary basis for policy decisions regarding initial teacher education and beginning teaching and informs the design and delivery of teacher preparation programs. Based on a rigorous analysis of international literature and the policy context for teacher education globally, and assessing data generated through a longitudinal study conducted in Australia, it investigates the effectiveness of teacher education in preparing teachers for the variety of school settings in which they begin their teaching careers. Over four years, the Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education (SETE) project tracked roughly 5,000 recently graduated teachers and 1,000 school principals in Australia to capture workforce data and gauge graduate teachers' and principals' perceptions of their initial teacher education programs. This book offers a synthesis of the research findings and uses the SETE as a catalyst for innovative theorization of the effectiveness of teacher education.

This book provides an evidentiary basis for policy decisions regarding initial teacher education and beginning teaching and informs the design and delivery of teacher preparation programs. Based on a rigorous analysis of international literature and the policy context for teacher education globally, and assessing data generated through a longitudinal study conducted in Australia, it investigates the effectiveness of teacher education in preparing teachers for the variety of school settings in which they begin their teaching careers. Over four years, the Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education (SETE) project tracked roughly 5,000 recently graduated teachers and 1,000 school principals in Australia to capture workforce data and gauge graduate teachers' and principals' perceptions of their initial teacher education programs. This book offers a synthesis of the research findings and uses the SETE as a catalyst for innovative theorization of the effectiveness of teacher education.

Lesbian feminist writing from the late 1960s to mid1980s framed lesbian community as crucial to lesbian survival. Since this time, contributions to the field have dwindled and the contemporary relevance of this position has been scrutinised. Lesbian community has been branded by some as restrictive and ultimately detrimental to lesbians because it silences difference. This book considers the emerging literature and explores Australian lesbians' perceptions and experiences of lesbian community/ies (1995-2005). It uses lesbians' stories to provide a snapshot of Australia's diverse lesbian community and examine the influence it has on lesbians' lives. The findings indicate that while shifts in social and political discourse have threatened feminist notions of lesbian community, it continues to fulfill a vital social, political and support function.