A pervasive and widespread shortage of early intervention (EI) teachers is preventing vital services from reaching infants and toddlers with disabilities during their most critical period of brain development. To better understand the EI teacher shortage, this qualitative study examined the career decision-making of 11 EI teachers from the…

Despite research (Cormier et al., 2022; Lindsay & Hart, 2017) highlighting the positive impact Black male educators have on Black students, and Black male students in particular, the representation of Black, non-Hispanic male teachers in the U.S. public and private K-12 teaching workforce remains notably low at 1.3% (Taie & Lewis, 2022).…

This study examined how current kindergarten teachers promote learning and early success throughout a child's educational trajectory, including middle and high school. Narrative inquiry identified concepts and methods of promoting social emotional development and learning for the duration of a student's schooling. The research gave voice to Latina…

Within the realm of education, the pervasive underrepresentation plagues Black male educators, with stark implications for students and the teaching profession. This issue significantly impacts early childhood education because female educators predominantly staff it, while the presence of Black male teachers in this field is quite limited. This…

The purpose of the study was to investigate preservice teachers' (PSTs) attitudes and beliefs towards their PK-12 field trip (FT) experiences as students, their memories, influences in their lives, impact on their educational approaches and career choices, as well as how, as future teachers, they would implement FTs to their future students to…

Males comprise less than 2% of the early childhood classroom teacher population. This research explored the experiences of male teachers from career exploration to classroom teaching. The purpose of the study included discovery of the influences motivating choice to teach in the early childhood education field. Five male teachers who have taught,…

Given the growing racial and ethnic disproportionality amongst young Latinxs and early childhood teachers against the established benefits of racial and ethnic matching between students and teachers, in this study I aimed to gain insight into the often ignored trajectories and experiences of Latinx early childhood educators. In this study, I…

The fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are being refined to prepare learners for 21st-century careers. The jobs in the STEM fields are on the rise, but there is still a lack of representation of women in these fields. Gender stereotypes and biased viewpoints on gender may prevent female interest and success in STEM…

The quality of care children receive from birth to kindergarten sets them on a trajectory for successful entry to school. Children who receive high-quality care, which is provided by qualified early educators with demonstrated mastery of the essential early learning core competencies, enter school ready to learn. Shortages of credentialed early…

This executive position paper identifies the three year process, 2015/2016-2018/2019 school years, in which a school district's career and technical education district team implemented and completed the Program Improvement Process for Equity (PIPE) Project. To meet the workforce demands of the 21st century, our schools must improve access, equity,…

This dissertation was a qualitative study of the perceptions and pressure of male primary elementary teachers and how these may affect their behavior and career choices. The researcher sought, through interviews of all stakeholders, to better understand the world of a male primary elementary teacher and how they are impacted by the thoughts and…