Background/Context: This study is based on prior research regarding the need for explicit social instruction for children with special needs, cooperative educational models, and the goals and relative successes of inclusive educational practices. The author refers to several studies on these subjects, including those by Kavale and Forness; Salend;…

This article discusses how the traditional Maori concept of Hauora (balanced development) can be applied to beginning teacher induction programmes. To develop this idea, several steps were taken. From a nationwide survey, five primary schools were chosen with exemplary induction programmes. Data from interviews and observations indicated that…

Drawing on case studies of three elementary school teachers in a diverse urban school setting in Texas, the author explores the varied ways teachers actively read accountability-related curriculum policies and then respond to these policies. Rooted in classroom observations and extensive teacher interviews, the author examines issues of teacher…

This comparative study of inner city with non-inner city teacher behaviors represents an initial attempt at a comparative analysis of two teaching models, and provides a means of identifying like and different behaviors. Descriptions of teaching acts occurring in inner city schools were obtained and independent judgments were made about the…

High stakes testing is a given in many public school districts in the United States. This paper reports the chilling effect high stakes testing had on the pedagogy of one teacher. The study took place in a large Midwestern urban district where a university consultant observed a fifth-grade classroom. This researcher was able to observe and…

A general conclusion can be drawn that the values of teachers and their perception of the values of the principal are more positive or higher in inner city elementary schools characterized by a more open organizational climate than in schools with a closed organizational climate. (Authors)

Interviewed four Latina teachers regarding relationships between their bicultural identities and attitudes toward English and Spanish. Results illustrate how bilingual people cope with pressures of living in a society that promotes conformity to the dominant culture, highlighting the strong correlation between identification with Latino culture,…

Purpose: To investigate relationships between teacher empowerment and interpersonal level trust in the principal. Design/methodology/approach: Trust is a fundamental element in well-functioning organizations. Studies of empowerment, a motivational construct, have suggested that empowering employees is a key factor in managerial and organizational…

Induction has become an increasingly popular strategy for school districts across the country that seek solutions for high attrition rates among teachers who are new to the profession. In Illinois public schools, the attrition rate among new teachers can be as high as 40 percent after only five years on the job. Such turnover levels are costly for…

Creating safe and productive environments with a diverse student population requires more than the strategies recommended in the original classroom-management literature. Drawing from the literature on culturally responsive classroom management, psychologically supportive classroom environments, and building resilience, the authors describe the…

The purpose of this case study is to describe the challenges one coach faced during the initial implementation of a coaching initiative involving 33 teachers in an urban, high-poverty elementary school. Reading coaches are increasingly expected to play a key role in the professional development efforts to improve reading instruction in order to…

Background/Context: The current era of educational reform targets teacher education and aims to improve the performance of children who have traditionally underperformed and are underserved in public schools. Although educational policy has tried to address the ways in which "good teaching" contributes to improved student educational outcomes,…

By looking at teacher collaborative structures in an urban public elementary school, this article demonstrates how, in the face of top-down school decisions under the pressures of high-stakes testing and assessment-driven curriculum, teachers can find the power and freedom for creative and effective pedagogy to flourish. We describe how teachers…

A total of 300 elementary and secondary public school teachers were surveyed in order 1) to develop a taxonomy of disciplinary techniques that is both quantitative and qualitative; and 2) to compare the relationship of teachers' disciplinary repertoires with type of school (urban, suburban, or rural), age of pupils, and teacher experience. The…

An evaluation was conducted of the second year of the K-3 District Reading Plan (2001-2002) in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), California. In September 1999, the district created the reading plan requiring the use of specific programs for low-achieving elementary schools. The evaluation also focused on alphabetics, reading…