Accountability has been a major feature of educational policy making across the globe, including in the US where there is a persistent focus on student achievement results. This paper examines how accountability influences organizational routines in US schools, paying particular attention to meeting routines. We draw upon in-depth qualitative data…

In this dissertation I seek to examine and expose the world of teaching, and particularly the world of teaching mathematics in public middle schools and high schools in New York City. These schools are administered by the New York City Department of Education which each year is responsible for the education of over one million students. In this…

Alternative certification programs provide a potential solution for teacher shortages in high-needs settings and content areas. These programs often attract career changers, who bring a passion for their content area and a desire to make it relevant to students. Research suggests that support during the first year is critical, but little is known…

The negative impacts of high teacher turnover are widely documented, with particular impact on low-income, high-minority schools. Turnover can be especially widespread in science education, where teachers are in high demand. Although teacher retention is predicated on job satisfaction, which is in turn fostered by opportunities for professional…

A teacher at an urban middle school worked to become part of her students' communities and utilized the notion of community within her pedagogy. Her example offers hope that engaging with students' communities and building community within the classroom are attainable and valuable goals. Her example also demonstrates that the concept of community…

Although teacher turnover affects many schools to some degree, it is especially problematic in urban settings (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003). This qualitative study examined the perspectives of five Black urban students who experienced a midyear teacher change in their 7th grade mathematics classroom. Findings suggest that these students were able…

This article reports on findings from a case study of an eighth-grade teacher in an innercity school in downtown Toronto, Canada. It investigates the teacher's pedagogical use of the metaphor of "family," using interview data to underscore the effects produced by such an operating logic in a classroom. Methodologically, the article puts…

Technology use in high-minority, low-income middle school ELA classrooms is defined by traditional instructional practices (Applebee & Langer, 2013; Attewell, 2001; Boser, 2013; Cuban, 2001; Lankshear & Knobel, 2008), barriers to access (O'Dwyer et al., 2005; Purcell et al., 2013; Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010), and inequalities in use…

This study examined the effects of using the Model-Strategy-Application with Reasoning Approach (MSAR) in teaching and learning mathematics in linguistically and culturally diverse elementary classrooms. Through learning mathematics via the MSAR, students from different language ability groups gained an understanding of mathematics from creating…

It has been a year since Sarah and Brian traveled to Malmo, Sweden, as part of a fellowship through their U.S. teacher preparation program. Their experience was unique and life changing, not only because it occurred in another country but because they completed their student teaching in a paired format. They planned and implemented all of their…