This paper assumes that the preparation, orientation and induction of new teacher educators who teach prospective teachers is as important as the preparation of prospective teachers, and is thus worthy of careful scrutiny and analysis.

The often-heard call for a recourse to "foreign-language teaching methods” for the improvement of English-Language teaching in the Caribbean implies a distinction between the concepts of first language and foreign-language teaching “methods” that must be severely questioned. In one sense, teaching a first language is a contradiction in terms: a “first” or native language is one which is by definition perfectly known to those who speak it. Therefore “teaching" must refer to different objectives in each case.

It has been accepted practice in the University of the West Indies School of Education, and in Ministries of Education and teachers' colleges in the Eastern Caribbean that a significant criterion for recognition and certification as a trained teacher is the student teacher's performance in the final teaching-practice exercise during the final term of a two-year training course.

It is proposed to conduct a survey of junior secondary schools in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Guyana to ascertain typical levels of cognitive development, in Piagetian terms, in different types of schools and localities. The object of the survey is to provide accurate data on levels of concept development which may be used in the preparation and modification of science curricula throughout the secondary school system in the Caribbean.

Part one of the present paper (presented in Vol. 3 No. 1 of this journal) discussed the need for a study of language aptitudes in the Jamaican context and the relevance of J.B. Carroll's theories in the latter respect. The performance of children in tests of language aptitudes and learning potential was studied, and it was suggested that differences in the social-class profiles of schools were related to differences in the average test-scores of those schools. 

Teachers and schools are part of the social and cultural infrastructure of all societies, but they are particularly relevant in developing countries. A good education system is central to the creation of human capital and a fundamental element contributing to successful economic development (Skeldon, 2005). In order to establish and maintain a credible system of education it is important to have a sufficient number of trained and experienced teachers.

The external assessment of Year Three Practicum is an important component of the assessment process to certify teachers completing the teacher education programme in Jamaica. Students are required to complete nine credit hours* (16 weeks) of practicum, distributed over the three years of intramural study at the teacher education institution. The period of practice in the first and second years is assessed internally, with the third year externally examined (Joint Board of Teacher Education 2003).

Based on data from a wider study of the perceptions of principals, teachers, and school librarians concerning the school librarian's role in Jamaican public secondary schools, this paper focuses on the teachers' and librarians' responses to two research questions in that study: (1) What do teachers perceive to be the role of a school librarian? (2) What do school librarians perceive to be the role of a school librarian?

Drawing on evidence from research that adopted a qualitative case study design and used grounded theory methods of data analysis, this paper explores social justice as a powerful influence on how four selected high school principals in Jamaica defined, interpreted, and enacted school leadership in their individual school contexts. It discusses the main components that characterized the principals' social justice perspective: a caring disposition; an emphasis on building social capital; a belief in students' capacities to succeed; and a focus on reducing inequities.

This issue of the Caribbean Journal of Education examines a diverse set of topics ranging from the perspectives of principals as leaders, the role of the school librarian in Jamaican secondary schools, the external assessment of student teaching, and the migration of teachers from Jamaica and other developing countries.