This study examines the experiences of educators teaching in and through the arts as they participate in various arts-centered forms of professional development. In particular, the study asks how arts-centered practices promote educator confidence, competence and resilience for teaching in large urban districts. Drawing on the work of Ellsworth…

In 2011, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) received an Investing in Innovation (i3) Grant through the U.S. Department of Education. UAF applied for the grant to expand the predominantly rural-serving Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP) to urban settings. ASMP is a professional development initiative that supplies fully released, highly…

The combined goals of recruiting and retaining effective teachers are often difficult to realize due to fluctuating student enrollments and class-size targets, teaching-load norms or requirements, and budgetary and resource constraints. While schools and districts market and recruit bright new teachers to the field, they too, struggle to maintain…

Research about educational resilience provides a framework for understanding why some at risk children are successful in school, while others are not. It can inform and guide teachers as they strive to improve the odds of urban student achievement. This research, an instrumental multiple case study, gathered the experiences of three experienced…

This study considers the lives of two veteran, urban high school teachers who have persisted in the profession over several decades, and who demonstrate an investment and enthusiasm for the work that is unusual among teachers in "difficult" schools. Through ethnographic, open-ended interviews and observations, the study seeks to identify those…

A concern of the public and of local school districts is that of staffing well-qualified teachers for the education of America's youth. Staffing, however, is a multistage process that involves attracting a viable candidate pool and retraining those selected. To determine if attraction and retention are sequential or related administrative…

This study examines the reasons that influence six secondary English teachers' decisions to remain in the teaching profession. A concern of parents, administrators, and policymakers is that secondary English teachers, often early in their careers, leave the profession at alarming rates, especially in California. This problem exacts a high monetary…

This paper attempts to identify the distinctive qualities of successful veteran teachers, referred to as "expert teachers", which separates them not only from novice teachers but more importantly from experienced non-expert teachers. Based on earlier case studies, this paper maintains that the critical differences between expert and…

Urban schools have the greatest need for renewal of existing staff and the infusion of new teachers. Unfortunately, they present a challenging environment in which to prepare teachers while fostering the renewal process in experienced teachers. Goodlad (1994) proposes that both the school and university embark upon this renewal process through…