There is a growing emphasis on social justice pedagogy as a predominantly White teacher labor force infiltrates classrooms in urban schools. Using "critical race theory" (CRT)--and the construct of interest convergence--this study examines how White teachers working in an urban school apply and enact teaching for social justice during…

The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the experiences of beginning music teachers as they navigate starting instrumental music programs in a large urban school district in the southern United States. A team of researchers collected data from three first-year music educators launching new instrumental programs at seven schools.…

The first five years of teaching are believed to be crucial in a school district's teacher retention efforts. The challenge novice teachers face to meet learners' academic, social, and emotional needs within a school community can prove to be especially daunting. Additionally, the context in which teachers learn to teach such as easier-to-staff…

Given what we know about new teacher attrition--most teachers leave within their first five years in the field--specialized support during early years of teaching is critical. But should this support look different across different contexts and grade bands? What does supportive teacher education and induction look like for middle level educators…

This study seeks to critically examine perceptions of urban school climate from a predominantly white teacher workforce and discuss the role that white identity, as the Dominant culture, plays in maintaining the status quo of racialized school climate. Participants included 145 teachers from a large southwestern urban setting. Teachers'…

Although most students with disabilities (SWDs) receive instruction from general education teachers, little empirical work has investigated whether these students have suitable access to high-quality teachers. We explore the differences in teacher quality experienced by SWDs and students without disabilities (non-SWDs) in the Los Angeles Unified…

In "Will Schools Change Forever," Waite and Arnett contend our educational system, and our society as a whole, have been confronted with two pandemics, COVID-19 and systemic racism (2020). Both of these pandemics have acerbated challenges schools must address and have exposed chronic inequities in educational systems. Our inquiry is case…

Teachers are the most important influence in schools on student achievement, which makes attracting and retaining excellent teachers a high priority for all school districts. But public schools in large cities like Philadelphia are especially challenged to provide every student with a highly-effective teacher. Teacher mobility--that is,…

This research explores the Critical Dialogue that I facilitated and engaged in as part of a dialogic Praxis cycle with four first year teachers in Chicago Public Schools, all graduates of the critical and urban-focused teacher education program where I am an instructor. Using a Freirean conception of dialogue, I engaged in third space Critical…

This narrative inquiry traces a beginning teacher's unfolding career over a six-year period in a diverse middle school in the fourth largest city in the USA. The work revolves around two conceptualizations: "stories to live by" and "stories to leave by." How these identity-related phenomena surface and play out in an…

Research shows that teacher quality is the single most critical factor in whether students succeed. However, efforts to improve teacher quality are often offset by the high rates of turnover, with 40-50 percent of public school teachers leaving within the first five years, and even higher rates in schools serving less advantaged students…

This research investigated the experiences of new teachers employed in urban school districts and how these novice teachers' perceived school district and school administrators' support required to retain them as well as teacher's perceptions of their pre-service experiences and/or induction programs necessary to prepare them for an urban…

Novice special educators (those in their first 3 years) consistently report their workloads are unmanageable. Yet, it is not clear whether their perceptions of workload manageability contribute to outcomes of concern such as emotional exhaustion (a component of burnout) or intentions to continue teaching in their schools and districts. This pilot…

This report examines the frequency of particular teacher preparation experiences and explores their relationships to beginning teachers' effectiveness in improving student test scores once they get to the classroom. The report found both differences in how teachers prepare for their certification in the field and that certain experiences are…

This executive summary describes the larger study, "Teacher Preparation Experiences and Early Teaching Effectiveness. NCEE 2019-4007" (ED598664). This study provides information about new teachers' preparation experiences and explores whether particular types of experiences are related to teachers' effectiveness in improving their…