This 5-year mathematics professional development project involves 27 elementary teachers prepared and supported as Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMSs) in high-need urban schools. They complete a university's K-5 Mathematics and Teacher Supporting & Coaching Endorsement programs and participate in Professional Learning Communities and…

This dissertation delves into the crucial realm of teacher-parent communication, recognizing its pivotal role in establishing a foundation of trust with families. This study employs a qualitative approach to emphasize the bidirectional and continuous nature of effective communication. It adopts a case study methodology, focusing on ten early…

This case examines the complex partnership between the university teacher education program and the host school district. Many factors contribute to the expectations and requirements of both institutions, which can at times, conflict in fundamental ways. The theoretical and research-based methods of early childhood coursework are often different…

Preschool children are expelled from early childhood education programs up to three times the expulsion rate of elementary and secondary students, and researchers have expressed concerns about this trend. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore educators' perspectives on behavioral supports to address preschool students' challenging…

Reflexivity is recognized as an important constituent in how teachers build their professional knowledge and develop their pedagogical practice. However, less is known about the function that emotions play in the reflexive process and how these emotions can act as a catalyst to mobilize action that can create spaces for small activisms. Implicit…

This inspirational book provides a concrete model of why university-district partnerships are essential to preparing justice-focused school leaders, and how these partnerships can thrive. Readers will find details of one such partnership, Leadership Education for Anaheim Districts (LEAD), which incorporated high-impact practices for equity,…

This phenomenological study explored best practices to increase preservice teacher self-efficacy before the student teaching semester. The research was guided by this central inquiry and three sub-questions. Using a pre- and post-phenomenon survey instrument as well as an initial questionnaire and a final reflection, preservice teachers who were…

This paper reports the professional journey of an English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher from teaching older learners to teaching younger children at a primary school, and the impact of mentoring on the teacher in facilitating the transitioning process. The participant is a Turkish native-speaker male English teacher with 23 years of teaching…

Research on early childhood mentoring has recognised the importance of collegial, productive and high-quality relationships between early childhood mentors and mentees. This research study adopts a cultural-historical approach to understand the different positions taken by mentors when relating with international pre-service teachers (PSTs). The…

As part of clinical models of teacher preparation, PDS models provide extra adults who are invested in education in the classroom environment. Administrators and school leaders sometimes look for innovative ways to use teacher candidates to provide additional intervention to support students who need extra help. This article analyzes one such PDS…

This paper outlines the socio-educational contexts within which NSW regional conservatoriums operate, thereby demonstrating the breadth of their operations, as well as their existing relationships with, and activity in, rural, regional and remote (RRR) schools. The paper elucidates the socio-educational disadvantage of the schools within which…

This research essay examined a growing trend in a rural area of the Midwest where PK-12 school districts are partnering with a local university to hire teacher candidates (TCs) as the Teachers of Record (TORs). Many rural school districts are challenged to address the teacher shortage. As a result, many school districts are hiring TCs as the TOR…

This paper explores how a teacher preparation program in a liberal arts institution built upon the foundations of dialogic, relational pedagogy utilizes strong alumni connections to improve teacher education curriculum and support preservice, inservice, and teacher educators as they work to teach against the grain. Best visualized as an infinity…

This action research project examined a rural band director's attrition/retention and possible reasons for staying or leaving a position. The purpose of this case study was to describe a rural band director's experience with content-related professional development and support networks, providing access to and a process for collaboration in…

This study focuses on the impact of mentoring in Jewish day schools through the lens of cross-cultural considerations. The researchers examined the influence of differences in culture and religion on mentoring relationships and professional growth experiences. Findings indicate that building bridges of understanding and trust in a cross-cultural…