This critical case study (Grosvenor & Pataki, 2017; Merriam, 2009) examines how taking up diversity and plurality within in situ literacy and language arts courses in a Bachelor of Education program created a critical discursive space within mainstream teacher education. Data in this research included interviews with teacher candidates and…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effects of grade-span configuration on student achievement and sense of belonging. The quantitative data for this study was collected from Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), specifically the Future Ready PA Index site and Eidex. Additional quantitative data was collected through…

The absence of social studies curriculum is a problem because it undermines the essential purposes of schooling: to prepare participatory, contributing members of a democratic society. In this article, we argue that integrating the literacy and social studies curricula is one meaningful way to support such civic-minded social studies instruction…

Purpose: The purpose of this two-part research was to investigate the effect of remote learning on student progress in elementary education. Part 2, presented in this paper, is a follow-up study to examine how student progression in the two pandemic-induced environments compared to the pre-pandemic conditions. Design/methodology/approach: The…

Teaching in remote, distance, and hybrid environments can be overwhelming and confusing and poses many challenges for novice and veteran teachers alike. In this comprehensive and practice-ready book, you'll find clear ideas for implementing the best practices of English-language instruction in remote teaching settings. Understanding that remote…

Across the U.S., educators face a common challenge: How can we help all students become strong readers and writers? In the author's state of Tennessee, many educators believe they have a reading crisis. Two-thirds of 3rd graders do not read and write on grade level as measured by the statewide assessment (Tennessee Department of Education, 2019a).…

Improving the reading ability of young students could hardly be a more urgent priority for our elementary schools. Two thirds of American fourth and eighth graders are not able to read proficiently--and the outcomes are far worse for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2019 showed that only…

Classrooms are host to complex sonic ecologies informed by ritualized patterns and routines, but there remains a dearth of scholarship studying everyday sounds of schooling. Such research is important because it can amplify in new ways how children's identities are constructed and thickened over time. This interpretive case study takes up the…

The importance of alignment between identification processes and program design is widely noted in gifted and talented education literature. We analyzed publicly available district gifted program plans (Grades 3-5) from two states to examine the extent to which district identification practices matched intervention strategies. Our team developed a…

Digital personal(ized) books are a relatively recent addition to the rich repertoire of literacy resources available to pre-K and elementary school teachers. This article summarizes the key ways in which personal(ized) books can enrich the language arts curriculum, drawing on a series of empirically based examples. The value of personalization in…

This case study uncovers how controversial issues such as the recent influx of refugees and immigrants were being addressed in upper elementary classrooms on the United States (US) side of the US/Mexico border. Public school administrators and sixth-grade teachers from two school sites participated. Transborder pedagogy contextualized the findings…

This practical resource will help K-5 teachers incorporate digitally supported disciplinary literacy practices into their classroom instruction. With an emphasis on reaching "all" learners, the authors present Planning for Elementary Digitally supported Disciplinary Literacy (PEDDL)--a six-phase framework that introduces readers to an…

In this dissertation, I examine how two major social programs in Kentucky--state-funded preK and Family Resource and Youth Service Centers--impact children's outcomes across the state, including racial, ethnic, and economic equity through elementary school. In each chapter, I will analyze how early childhood opportunities relate to outcomes…

Researchers compared pre/post classroom assessment scores of n = 8,326 K-12 students taught by n = 288 teacher candidates to determine if a differentiated teacher education program prepared them to support English learners' (ELs) achievement in classrooms including native and nonnative speakers of English. Candidates in Group 1 comprised academic…

"107 Awesome Elementary Teaching Ideas You Can Implement Tomorrow" contains a wide variety of effective, user-friendly strategies, tips, and activities for your elementary school classroom. Rich with anecdotes and examples, this resource features useful suggestions for creating a positive, cooperative classroom culture, improving…