To address chronically low rates of academic achievement among students with disabilities, as well as the high rates of burnout and attrition among special educators, new models for educator professional learning are critically needed. The EXPERT professional learning (EXPERT-PL) model aims to develop early career special educator expertise in DBI…

Fixed and growth mindsets describe the underlying beliefs people have about human capacity to grow (Dweck, 2006). The theoretical framework of growth mindset classroom cultures (Murphy et al., 2021) as interpreted in the context of music education provided a solid foundation. This qualitative multiple case study explored the mindset construct and…

Today, teachers around the world are facing tremendous challenges in not only being responsive to their students' learning needs and strengths, but also in preparing them for an increasingly globalized world (Byker & Ezelle, 2021). Language teachers are often in a pivotal position to address such issues about equity because of the subject they…

Elementary school music experiences have been shown to be influential for lifelong music engagement, and sound music teacher education would be the most effective way to provide positive school music experiences to students in elementary schools. In spite of this importance, many countries have different elementary music education and music…

This dissertation analyzed the factors that affected the retention of new teachers in the United States. This action research study was conducted utilizing qualitative data. Qualitative methods were relied upon to investigate perspectives from new and veteran teachers. It was proposed that teachers left the profession due to opportunity cost…

The purpose of this study was to examine the value of mentoring techniques as perceived by beginning teachers. One specific school district in Southern California using the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program was the focus of this study. There were 12 beginning teachers involved in their second year of the BTSA program. The…

This qualitative study explores the experiences and learning of five new teachers with less than three years in the classroom as they engaged in a study group. This research highlights the ways that participation in a study group enhanced teacher efficacy and supported their retention. The research reveals that power and authority over…

Creating a quality induction program can create positive changes in the school district. "Thoughtful preparation combined with dedicated and ongoing support can yield real improvements in the classroom" (K. Wiebke & J. Bardin, 2009, p. 37). Current research indicates that there is a need to support new teachers during the early…

This dissertation examines an understudied group according to the American Council on Education: the tenure-track early career faculty (ECF). The focus is on the culturalization, socialization, academic culture, and emergent themes discerned from ten semi-structured interviews with tenure-track ECF. This qualitative bounded system case study…

The literature on teacher retention is abundant, yet the focus on new teachers themselves is limited. This research study provides a detailed description of what beginning teachers reported made them want to stay at one middle school with a 100% teacher retention rate over four consecutive years. This study employed qualitative methodology.…