The purpose of this quantitative within-groups comparative study was to determine if there was a significant difference between the 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and the 2021 (post-COVID-19) third grade Standards of Learning (SOL) reading and math scores in urban Title I elementary schools in a southeastern state. The conceptual framework for this study was…

The problem explored in this study was principals' low self-efficacy, which negatively affected school outcomes and could lead principals to set weaker goals and be less resilient. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to identify strategies that principals believed would foster better self-efficacy. The theoretical framework…

It is well established that principal turnover is of grave concern in the U.S. (Goldring & Taie, 2018; Levin et al., 2020) and may have been exacerbated due to the pandemic (Steiner et al., 2022). This transcendental phenomenological study explored the experience of women principals at P-12 schools in the U.S. who voluntarily left their roles…

There is growing attention about the psychological rewards associated with kind school climates in primary and secondary school settings. Its mental health benefits, however, remain under-explored in higher education contexts. This study addresses this gap through examining the role of university kindness or perception of kind acts in university…

This paper presents one elementary school librarian's experience using gamification and game-based learning in the specialist classroom. While the academic literature on gamification and game-based learning is increasing, there has not been much written on using these techniques in the specialist classroom. Using a case study method, the…

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, New Zealand media reports revealed competing discourses of care in education. Specifically, the media narrated an apparent resistance to care evident in a primary and secondary teacher resistance to a return to school. While the resistance was clearly and explicitly concerned with care for teachers and…

The abrupt shift to online instruction that occurred in spring 2020, often referred to as emergency remote teaching (ERT), caught many world language educators off guard. To prepare for future disruptions to face-to-face learning and illustrate promising online teaching practices that emerged during this extended period of time that could serve to…

In this study, nine preservice teachers' online teaching performances in their teaching practicum during COVID-19 were examined. Altogether, 42 online storytelling activities were recorded, and preservice teachers' views were collected in a 120-minute focus group. We employed thematic analysis to code the participants' reflections, to understand…

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational systems worldwide have faced unprecedented challenges, particularly concerning the support of students based on traditional face-to-face instruction. This study focused on the concerns surrounding 2nd grade students at LEA and DRA, two urban elementary schools, who have faced multiple layers of…

Background: This study investigated how an online professional development program (OPDPs) affected preschool teachers' STEM teaching competence, what technological tools and materials they used during STEM education after the program, and what they thought about OPDPs. Purpose: This study aimed to focus on all dimensions of the effects of OPDPs…

Teachers, a population already vulnerable to high stress, experienced heightened demands, and reduced resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal study utilized inductive thematic analysis to explore 241 K-12 teachers' qualitative accounts of stressors, supports, and pandemic-specific impacts through their responses to three…

The present illustrative case study explored elementary teachers' perception of preparation for a pandemic-driven pedagogical shift. Third grade teachers from a South Florida school district that were teaching in a Title 1 school during COVID-19 pandemic and made the pedagogical shift (N=10) were selected to share their perspectives of the…

To ensure children with disabilities (CWD) have a successful transition to kindergarten, teachers have been encouraged to use high-intensity, or individualized, transition practices. Yet, while limited or lack of administrator support has been cited as a barrier to transition practice use, there exists little research regarding principals'…

Background: Universal masking, with additional layered prevention strategies, was an essential tool for limiting the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and ensuring a safe return to in-person learning for kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students and staff. Few studies have examined mask adherence in this setting and none have described types of…

As a consequence of both the political turmoil in late 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, kindergarten children in Hong Kong were unable to attend school for three years. Various class resumption plans were developed from time to time. Overall, kindergarten children had in-person classes for only 103 days in the 2019-20 year and 174 days in the…