Curriculum change affords middle leaders opportunities for pedagogical and planning renewal. This paper reports case studies of two schools engaged in preparing for implementation of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. Drawing on interview data from a middle leader from each school, Bacchi's question, "What's the problem…

The changing nature of education has forced educators to rethink the role of classrooms in student learning. Prior research has shown that the environmental and structural design of education centers impact student learning. With a dozen variables to deal with, classroom designers are faced with the daunting task of selecting one plan from the…

Many educational leaders dream of the opportunity to begin a new school. New schools provide opportunities for innovation, change, and creativity, which most educators believe is needed to improve current middle school practice. This study follows the process of planning for and opening a new and innovative middle school program designed to offer…

This article explores issues that had to be confronted over a three-year period in terms of two New York State funded grants for which I was the evaluator. Major, critical challenges are presented, described, and discussed. Specifically, the paper addresses issues related to lack of planning at the grant design stage that resulted in challenges…

The purpose of this instrumental multiple case study was to examine and compare five inservice music teachers' and one administrator's perceptions of three school-university partnership programs, in various stages of development, across one semester. Data sources included participants' observation notes, researchers' field notes, and individual…

This case study investigated the practiced language policies of a French elementary school educator, Catherine, as she implemented the French National Cycle of instruction for the early elementary grades with a culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) class of students. The findings revealed that macro-level policies--such as curriculum and…

The study was designed to explore the general knowledge, practices and views of students with visual impairment about HIV/AIDS in order to identify the gaps in students' knowledge and inform decisions on instructional strategies and materials to improve students' knowledge. Specifically, the study examined the nature of knowledge students with…

Problem: Interdisciplinary teaming has been noted as a critical element of the middle school model associated with higher student achievement. Yet, research on middle school teams' use of common planning time suggests that the majority of meeting time is spent discussing student behavior/issues, discussing student learning problems/issues, and…

Engineering programs have long thrived in U.S. universities. More recently, engineering content has been introduced in America's high schools, yet less so in elementary and middle schools across the nation. To meet the demand for engineers in the U.S., educators must play a more active role in inspiring young students to this career option.…

This case provides principal licensure candidates a strategic perspective on leading and managing educational technology initiatives. It presents issues related to vision setting, planning, implementation, organizational structure, and decision making. The case narrative is presented from the perspective of a principal, but it can also be used to…

This guide is designed to help teachers and administrators use data to continuously improve equity in schools. Educators can also use data to engage students, parents/guardians, the community, and others who want to make positive changes in schools to increase equity. The purposes of the guide are to: (1) Introduce MAEC's Equity Audit Tools as a…

The purpose of this study was to explain middle school teachers' decisions for planning a science unit of instruction (reflection on action) and their decisions when enacting this planned unit (reflection in action) using the new teacher professional knowledge and skill (TPK&S) model as a guiding framework. In addition, this study specifically…

This qualitative exploratory case study focused on the achievement gap in mathematics that exists in one urban North Carolina middle school and the strategies used by school personnel to narrow this gap. The goal of this research was to determine effective instructional strategies and best practices used to engage students in learning that will…

In a Georgia middle school, general and special education teachers expressed concerns about the challenges of working collaboratively in the inclusive classroom. Effective teacher collaboration is pivotal to ensure academic success of all students. The purpose of this qualitative bounded instrumental case study was to explore middle school…

"Game Maker" is widely used in UK secondary schools, yet under-researched in that context. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative case study that explores how authoring computer games using "Game Maker" can support the learning of basic programming concepts in a mainstream UK secondary setting. The research draws on…