International teachers in the US primarily fall into two categories: those on J-1 or J-2 visas under the Exchange Visitor Program and those holding employment visas, such as H-1B, EB-2, or EB-3. J-1 and J-2 visas are aimed at cultural and educational exchange. Those who receive them are authorized under the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961 to teach for…

In this study, we examine teachers' perceptions concerning the relative importance of different administrative supports for teacher retention across school levels (i.e., middle and high schools), retention status (i.e., low or high), and locale (i.e., rural and urban). Results from our Best--Worst Scaling analyses, with a sample of 178 South…

Each year, SC TEACHER publishes different workforce profiles, sharing details and demographics around South Carolina educators for a better understanding of our public school workforce. Among these publications, this report is the first to examine the state's school "administrator" workforce. The analysis in this report uses statewide…

SC TEACHER's research mission includes publishing yearly reports that detail the South Carolina educator workforce, sharing insights with educators themselves, policymakers, community members, and other stakeholders. This report is an annual review of the state's public school teacher workforce. Analysis in this study uses statewide data from…

This article describes the challenge of engaging educators in professional development (PD) that is timely and relevant to their work, and effective in stimulating instructional changes to improve student learning. The authors highlight the competing needs and goals for PD that create tensions among the external accountability demands, school…

This technical appendix provides additional information about the sample, data, and estimation strategy used for a series of American Educator Panels (AEP) Data Notes published by the RAND Corporation in 2019. The Data Note series is intended to provide brief but incisive analyses of teacher and school leader survey results that may be of…

"Math Expressions" is a curriculum for students in prekindergarten through sixth grade that aims to build students' conceptual understanding of mathematics and to develop fluency in mathematical problem solving and computation. The curriculum encourages student learning of mathematics through real-world situations, visual supports such…

A key focus area for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is ensuring equitable access to effective teachers for all students in the state (MDE, 2016, 2017b). To achieve this vision, however, MDE recognizes that it must first address persistent teacher shortages in regions of the state and in specific subject areas (U.S. Department of…

Forty-six percent of the nation's teachers are expected to leave the profession by their fifth year in the classroom. This alarming statistic has grabbed the attention of federal, state, and local leaders. In South Carolina alone, 28,500 teachers left the profession in the last five years, or an average of 5,700 per year. This translates to a…

Every step in a student's life is important for future success. Schools are building stronger frameworks of curricula, instruction and assessments to prepare students to move from one learning environment to another with maximum results as they journey toward adulthood. This issue of "High Schools That Work" contains examples of…

The study examined the No Child Left Behind Act as it relates to the recruiting and retention of special education teachers in rural school districts. The focus of the research was to examine those factors that have influenced teachers to leave the profession or to seek employment in more urban school districts. Data for the study were collected…

Albert Bandura, the leading pioneer in the study of self-regulation, has defined the term as the child's ability to self-educate, self-direct, regulate motivation, and learn to think about what she is learning (1994). Lev Vygotsky's theory that children can be taught to think independently about how to solve problems expands upon Bandura's work…

This newsletter focuses on the importance of reading and writing skills in all educational and career pathways. It includes a variety of strategies for integrating reading and writing skills across the curriculum--in academic, career/technical and fine arts courses--in ways that improve student achievement in reading and writing and in the content…

This study investigated the local implementation of South Carolina state policy initiatives that proposed more rigorous academic content for all students, analyzing the implementation process in schools with predominantly poor and minority students. The study, conducted between 1992-96, examined data from four urban and rural elementary schools.…

Compares areas and levels of political conflict in racially isolated school districts by surveying six superintendents from racially isolated African-American schools and six superintendents from racially isolated white schools. Similar issues arise at every conflict level with small variations among issues between African-American and white…