In this action research study, we investigated pre-service teachers' (n = 39) perceptions of academic language and strategies in order to support their abilities to plan and teach elementary social studies. Using mixed methods triangulation design, we analyzed edTPA SCORES, pre-assessments, post-assessments, videos of teaching, field notes,…

Teacher education programs worldwide have adopted the goal of promoting an inquiry stance among teacher candidates. Such programs commonly ground teacher candidates' clinical practice in practitioner inquiry -- a cyclical, systematic, and intentional process supported by inquiry communities. While democratic and justice-oriented purposes are…

Teacher action research has been shown to both promote professional growth in teachers as well as produce gains for students. However, to date, little research has examined how action research might contribute to systemic changes in schools and school districts. This qualitative study of six teachers from various districts, subject areas, and…

This paper reports on an action research inquiry that identified ways that a graduate course in multicultural children's literature contributed to teachers' meaning-making of such texts, their professional practices, and themselves as educators. Conceptually grounded in culturally responsive teaching and the construct of teacher identity, analysis…

Drawing on situated learning and communities of practice, this teacher-research study examined multiple stakeholders' perspectives about the purpose, design, and inaugural implementation of the edTPA, a teacher performance assessment mandated for state certification. Participants included teacher candidates, mentor teachers, a field placement…

This article reports on a teacher education program's use of "teaching rounds" and "action research" to build teacher candidates' "discretionary authority," the confidence to make their own teaching decisions rather than model their classroom choices solely on a mentor teacher's classroom pedagogy. Discretionary…

Given the movement to enhanced clinical experiences and school-university collaboration emphasized in the NCATE Blue Ribbon Report, the field of teacher preparation would benefit from an understanding of the research related to preservice teacher (PST) supervision. This article uses qualitative meta-analysis to generate new knowledge about PST…

Scholars have criticized teacher education programs for using action research (AR) to improve candidates' technical skills rather than promote its emancipatory goals. The author argues candidates who conduct critical AR promote its emancipatory goals and indicate a commitment to act as change agents for social justice through education. This…

The public education system in the United States continues to struggle in educating children of diverse backgrounds. Many have addressed this issue by documenting how certain practices teach children particular types of knowledge and skills. This developmental focus on what should be happening to children of diverse backgrounds tends to ignore the…

The action research methodology for this study reports descriptive statistical findings from the performance of 19 Early Childhood Education African American teacher candidates matriculating through a state-approved program at an HBCU. Researcher-moderators provided a treatment plan of focused summer workshops, conceptualized based upon the…

The purpose of this study was to obtain an accurate picture of minority student enrollment in honors and advanced placement (AP) classes at Wichita (Kansas) High School East and to develop a plan of action to close the achievement gap between White and non-White students. Prior to this study there was no clear, concise data to move this discussion…

Colleges of education must instantiate their candidates' knowledge, skills, and dispositions for accreditation. Professors often have candidates reflect on field experience as a way to enhance their learning. This study examines reflections of 43 candidates over a 2-year period. Candidates engaged in an after-school enrichment program as…

Students entering school from economically disadvantaged homes may have difficulty developing early literacy skills, leading to subsequent reading difficulties and poor academic performance. It is not sufficient for at-risk children to make progress; their achievement has to be accelerated, given that their middle-class peers are also making…

This article examines an assessment initiative for reviewing and developing student dispositions to address faculty concerns about the issue, as well as attend to programmatic needs. The presented disposition model is part of a coordinated and multitiered collegewide initiative for gathering, reviewing, and analyzing data in a central assessment…

In an effort to promote a critical reflective stance in the beginning teacher, this study developed an instructional model for preservice teachers at the undergraduate level. Its sample consisted of students in two sections of a student teaching seminar course taken during their last semester of undergraduate course work. The work took place at a…