Since its beginning, children's literature has been influenced by white gatekeepers and power brokers. From authors, illustrators, and publishers to librarians, educators, and booksellers, the people creating and promoting children's literature have been predominantly white (Borsheim-Black, 2015, Thomas, 2016, Welch, 2016). Due in no small part to…

Dropout rates, suspensions, and expulsions have increased--among urban schools for quite some time. Yet, the number of unmotivated and disengaged culturally diverse students in urban learning environments is steadily increasing. There is a growing number of white female novice teachers who are entering the field of urban education and many…

The state of Nebraska recently adopted and implemented a set of Science standards that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards which include engineering practices such as engineering design and the use of technology. Curriculum administrators throughout the state are responsible for the implementation of these standards including…

The need for teachers across the United States is anticipated to increase as a result of turnover. Student enrollment within Texas continues to grow, requiring an additional supply of teachers beyond those needed to replace departing educators. Whether assuming a vacated position or accepting a new one, many of these teachers will be new to the…

Forty to 50 percent of teachers are leaving the teaching profession in their first five years due to a lack of confidence and a feeling of incompetence when trying to meet the needs of their students in the classroom (Ingersoll, 2007; Kersaint, 2005: Darling-Hammond, Chung, & Frelow, 2002). While teacher attrition is going up, student…

Why do some teachers choose to leave the profession within the first five years of service? Focusing on one group of 25 former teachers and a second group of 25 current teachers in the rural, North Central, Alabama, area, the researcher studied how the nationally known reasons for teacher attrition found in the literature review applied to this…

Literature in this field of English language learners (ELLs) in US public schools indicates that the needs of these adolescent ELLs are not being met due to a lack of language support and inaccessibility to content. This research examined the enactment of a curriculum with preservice teachers designed to address the specific needs of adolescent…

This dissertation had a three-pronged approach by examining (1) the role and sustainability of university-based intensive English programs (IEPs), (2) the value of a master's in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and (3) relevance of attending an IEP for international/English as a second language (ESL) students. IEPs face…

Second Language (L2) teacher education serves as a pivotal site for examining language ideologies that shape teacher candidates' conceptualization and enactments of L2 pedagogy. Informed by the theory of language ideologies (Kroskrity, 2004, 2010) and the concept of language socialization (Ochs & Schieffelin, 1984), this dissertation research…

This dissertation explores sociocultural factors which influence the choices of language teacher educators deciding what to include in coursework and programs. The term "curricularizing" is used to describe the complex process of selecting, planning, and delivering teacher education content. Conflicting social values create dilemmas for…

The purpose of this study was to identify the obstacles faced and strategies used to overcome those obstacles by undergraduate teacher education majors who began their coursework at a community college and completed an Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree in teacher education. In this study, the questions asked of the participants touched on…

Studies have shown that conflict resolution and violence prevention education may be lacking within school-based environments. There is a gap in the literature regarding pre-service and in-service conflict resolution and violence prevention education for urban high school educators. The purpose of the study was to understand the experiences and…

There is ongoing debate in the current teacher preparation landscape about what type of training best prepares teachers for the classroom. As the larger field seeks to improve issues of recruitment and retention, many teacher preparation programs are trying to figure out the best ways to support new teachers, particularly those teaching in urban…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand and describe the sources of Nicaraguan EFL teacher educators' knowledge base, the types of knowledge and skills that constructed their knowledge base, and the relationship of this knowledge base and classroom practices in a teacher education program at a Nicaraguan…

This qualitative case study explored how a pre-service training program developed through a partnership between a university and a charter school, and specifically created to prepare and retain urban educators, may lead to efficacious classroom practices. To address the manner in which teachers can be ill-prepared for the realities of urban school…