For background, past stories and Web links, see our Issues page on Teaching as a Profession .
Web page offers guidance on preparing a teacher's portfolio .
By Linda Jacobson Portfolios are becoming an important ingredient in the teacher-hiring process, according to a study by researchers at the University of Iowa. Most of the more than 1,000 personnel administrators and superintendents who responded to the researchers' national survey said they don't require portfolios from applicants. But, the respondents said, more school officials are requesting them, finding that they provide important insight into a teacher's individual talents and beliefs about education. The study was conducted for the Educational Placement Consortium, which includes the placement offices at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Indiana University in Bloomington. A team of six researchers surveyed 1,480 members of the American Association of School Personnel Administrators last spring.