Public education has evolved throughout the years, whereas traditional school settings focused on students sitting quietly in the classroom waiting for instructions from their teachers who orchestrated the lessons and procedures for running the classroom. Although student voice always existed, it was often overlooked. For the most part, emphasis…

This exploratory case study documents the experiences shared by teacher candidates and cooperating teachers in two contrasting Professional Development School (PDS) sites over four semesters. At the ends of semesters during which courses were moved from the traditional university site delivery to public middle schools as part of an emerging PDS,…

Although service learning has been documented as a promising pedagogy for middle grades learners, it remains the exception rather than the rule in many middle schools. This qualitative study examined fifth grade students' experience of a service-learning class. Using the tenets of service learning and experiential learning theory as the…

In this study, we examined the ability of grades 1-8 pre-service teachers (PSTs) to engage in thinking about patterns, relationships, and functional rules. Using the algebraic habit of mind Building Rules to Represent Functions as a framework, we examined whether and how well our PSTs (n = 18) used seven features of this habit of mind: organize…

Scholars have become more attentive to lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual/queer/questioning (LGBTQ) topics as queer perspectives become increasingly prevalent in middle and high school environments. This study examines how educators navigate social and academic environments in order to incorporate inclusive pedagogical practices and cultivate safe…

A qualitative study of the impact of a school-university partnership in which eight teacher candidates from a two-year graduate program were placed together in a poverty level middle school was conducted. Teacher candidates in this particular program receive a master's degree, as well as a teaching license in their content area and special…

The problem on which this study focused was the need to organize and implement effective leadership meetings that led to improved professional collaboration. The purpose was to evaluate the use of a protocol in organizing and implementing such meetings. The research questions were framed around the four levels of the Kirkpatrick (1996) evaluation…

This paper suggests that the idea of "taking stock" of the current program--reflecting on what educators believe to be best practice--and then "charting a course" of action to better align practice with vision is a deliberate way for teachers to build capacity to enact reform. It begins by providing a brief overview of the changing direction of…

The Practitioner Center, an innovation which provides a vehicle for a transactional approach to teacher growth and professional development, incorporates the concept of peer leadership with "teachers teaching teachers" and teachers acting as coaches. The organizers of the practitioner center decided on a 5-part format which is covered in…