This study advances the understanding of providing effective professional development for elementary teachers in the field as the Pennsylvania STEELS standards require inquiry-based learning as a component of the science classroom. I sought out elementary teacher perceptions surrounding professional development as it pertained to their ability to…

This study attempted to understand the school principal's perception about the characteristics, attitudes and behaviors of teachers who may be operating on the fringes of proficient performance. In addition, this study attempted to understand if the demographics of the school principal and the school could play a role in the type of…

The recent turn toward core practices and practice-based teacher education has been accompanied by a growing literature on the definitions, pedagogies to teach, and assessments of core practices. Despite these developments, the field lacks core practices performance assessments designed to be used across course sections, courses, and subjects.…

Postsecondary instructors routinely face novel and complex challenges in physical classrooms and informal learning spaces. Instructors often bring these challenges, along with creative and aspirational solutions, to the attention of centers for teaching and learning (CFTLs). Issues span a wide range of topics including blogs, clickers, immersive…

Nearly 137,500 students in K-12 schools in Pennsylvania identified with Emotional Disturbance (ED) who receive special education services for externalizing behaviors experience bleak outcomes related to school connectedness and academic success. Teachers report feeling ill-equipped to work with students with EDEB. This instrumental case study…

Schools with similar demographics have varying school performance; these differences exist among schools across Western Pennsylvania. Questions remain as to why some schools perform at higher levels than other schools in similar regions. Some researchers posit that leadership practices in different schools may influence student learning and school…

When hired to teach courses online, traditionally trained teachers may struggle to transition from non-online instructional delivery skills to research-based best practice strategies designed for the online classroom. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine how online K-12 charter school administrators perceived the…

This study harvested and synthesized information on K-12 online educators within the State of Pennsylvania through structured interviews and artifact evaluations. As parents, students, and the greater K-12 educational community look for innovative ways to increase rigor and student achievement in the 21st century, educational technology is viewed…

This article describes ROCKETS, an after-school program for at-risk youth, and how the university students became involved in this service-learning project. The article discusses the steps that were taken to start the program, what is being done to continue the program, and the challenges that faculty have faced. This program is an authentic…

This qualitative study explores preservice teachers' experiences in a service-learning literacy tutoring program offered at a university with children in grades one through eight. This study examines briefly the history of literacy centers and service-learning, the specific instructional tutoring methods employed by preservice teachers connected…

What is the relationship between student teachers' studio art practice and pedagogy during the student teaching experience? What are the benefits of reflecting on connections between art teaching and artmaking after the student teaching experience? In developing one's art practice, art educators build conceptual frameworks for curriculum with…

The field of teacher preparation is falling short of its most important responsibility: ensuring that the teachers we train are ready to do the job. For more than a decade,TNTP preparation programs produced teachers who were no more or less effective than teachers from any other program-- some were great, some were poor, most were about average.…

By 2012, all of the states in this study had started implementing new or revised teacher and leader evaluation systems. There are many and varying updates to these systems, and some of them have been made to meet conditions for a state's federal "Race to the Top" (RTT) grant. Other updates have been made to meet conditions for a state's…

By 2012, all of the states in this study had started implementing new or revised teacher and leader evaluation systems. The systems include many and varying updates. In some cases, the updates were designed to meet conditions for a state's "Race to the Top" grant. In others, the updates were made to meet conditions for a state's waiver…

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to discover how teachers view the teacher supervision practices that are in place in two selected charter schools in Southeast urban Pennsylvania by developing an in-depth perspective and understanding of teachers' perceptions of the efficacy and impact on the current system. Data will be gathered on…