Background/purpose: This study explores the different ways in which critical friend roles are conceptualized. The critical friend role is adaptive by nature, with significant ambiguity surrounding it, which has resulted in disjointed and fragmented literature. This study sought to provide insights into the varied and potentially boundary-spanning…

The purpose of this basic narrative qualitative study was to explore how teacher teams in Blue Ribbon elementary schools, teacher teams in performing elementary schools, teams in businesses on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America list, and business teams not on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America list…

Educational escape rooms (ER) are an instructional activity designed to incorporate many elements of recreational ERs, which have become popular in recent years. There are many reasons to consider incorporating educational ERs into K-12 math instruction or after-school programs/camps. First, they are highly motivating for students because they…

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine the relationship between leadership styles, conflict caused by dysfunctions in administrative leadership teams, teacher morale, and student performance on the reading and math sections of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR). A total of 58 elementary school…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the implementation of Personality Theory in an upper-elementary classroom would impact the sense of community felt by the students in that class. Both purposive and voluntary sampling were used to identify two teachers willing to undertake the study with their classes. Students were assessed…

This study introduced computerized collaboration scripts with an intergroup competition mechanism to foster students' within-group collaboration in a multi-touch tabletop classroom, investigating whether the scripting effects could be further improved by integrating intergroup competition. As such, this study utilized an experimental design to…

Planning mathematics learning sequences as a team is becoming increasingly common in Australian primary schools and is often referred to as "team planning" or "collaborative planning." The purpose of this article is to illustrate how a multi-age Year 5 and 6 primary school teaching team, authors Scott, Rai and Kristyn, grappled…

Purpose: This study explores the perceptions of the leadership team on knowledge creation in lesson study (LS) using P. Gronn's concept of hybrid leadership. Design/methodology/approach: This study included teachers from a public elementary school in Japan that has been engaged in autonomous LS for several years. Teachers (n = 8) from the…

This paper reports on the findings from a study investigating the provision of outdoor loose parts materials for upper primary school aged children. Conducted in Queensland, Australia, the study focused on loose parts materials as cultural tools, following the sociocultural argument that tools mediate activity and outcomes. The findings suggest…

This qualitative case study focuses on the pivotal role of an urban elementary school leadership team with a newcomer program. It aims to uncover how school leadership decisions, practices, and policies address the diverse needs of newcomer students. Challenges faced by newcomers, including economic and social needs, cultural adjustments, and…

School-external expectations regarding implementation of reforms and innovations often do not lead to successful school improvement processes in schools. To better understand these processes in schools, this paper aims to investigate school improvement processes on a deep level by focusing on cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational regulation…

The focus of this practice-based research was to explore teachers' perceptions of implementation approaches to multitiered system of supports (MTSS). For more than 10 years there have been varied approaches for implementation of MTSS, which has caused a lack of guidance and support for teachers. Therefore, this qualitative descriptive study…

Early childhood teachers had to restructure instruction when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and instruction was completed online. The problem was that early childhood teachers faced challenges using developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to…

Recent studies in the field of language education policy (LEP) have emphasized the agency of educators in language policy implementation, which considerably influences the policy outcome. These studies, however, often focus on LEP measures for newcomers or ethnic minority students, and on the language used for instruction as the main LEP…

The aim of this study was to investigate the views of 100 primary school teachers regarding the proposal of assigning two principals in Greek primary schools, one responsible for managerial duties and one to assume the pedagogical responsibilities. Teachers from the metropolitan area of Athens completed an online self-report questionnaire between…