The purpose of this mixed-method study was to explore preservice teachers' beliefs and preconceptions about teaching for social justice in two pathways to teacher licensure: a traditional, university-based teacher preparation program and an urban teacher residency (UTR) program. Participants were enrolled in a post-baccalaureate education program…

The racial achievement gap is a problem that is plaguing America's school system. Across the country, black and brown students are performing below their white classmates. According to researchers like Gloria Ladson-Billings and Geneva Gay, one of the most effective ways to reduce the achievement gap is to use culturally relevant instruction. The…

The purpose of this case study research was to understand the ways in which an innovative, urban secondary English teacher (Ms. B) approached English Language Arts, when a set, standardized curriculum and testing were in place. The Common Core standards were prescribed within a required module-based presentation format. New literacies pedagogy…

This study involved examining the beliefs of teachers at one urban elementary school regarding how professional development has helped them meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study included a series of in-depth interviews with three teacher leaders. The goal was to obtain consent from them to participate in this…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how an urban teachers' residency cohort program in Ohio, formed a partnership with an urban school district located in Ohio, and how and why the partners defined distinct and differing ideas of teacher quality for high-poverty schools and their disadvantaged students. Investigations of…

Instructional technology use in United States preschool classrooms remains a limited and widely debated practice. In urban communities, preparing preschool students for academic, social, and economic success is further threatened by the well-documented digital divide. This qualitative phenomenological study included ten subjects and examined the…

Good teaching matters, especially for students growing up in poverty. But, effective teaching does not alone depend on the contributions of talented and skilled individuals. Rather, promising pedagogues are far more likely to rise to their potential when they are well-matched with both their teaching assignment and with the school organization…

Cultural competence in education is a vital part of running an effective classroom with cross-cultural relationships. However, there has been limited research addressing the supports classroom teachers receive from their instructional leaders in being culturally responsive to the students in their classroom. The purpose of this study was to…

In the last ten years, education reform in this country has led to keen emphasis on student achievement at every level. Since then, many research studies have been dedicated to closing the student achievement gap through the examination of teacher training & development. Research has also incited awareness in the value of "emotional…

The objective of this study was to document teachers' and administrators' perceptions of how, if at all, LAUSD's new Teacher Growth and Development Cycle (TGDC) changed their practice in ways that can be expected to lead to improved student learning. Specific emphasis was placed on how the TGDC, the comprehensive observational system (teacher…

The focus on measuring student growth based on teacher effectiveness has presented new challenges for an urban school in Massachusetts. The purpose of this general interpretive qualitative study was to examine the instructional practices of a group of middle school teachers, the practices they perceived to be effective for ensuring student…

This study describes teachers' experiences of success and failure in teaching through interviews. The analytical framework for this study was based on Activity Theory (Leon'tev, 1978), and the research methods were developed by Herzberg et al. (1959). The inclusion of factors identified by Seligman (2006) and Maslach (1982) allowed for…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine urban high school mathematics teachers' perceptions of how they manage their own and their students' emotional intelligence (EI) to facilitate instruction and learning; their reports of how they handle their emotions as urban mathematics teachers; and their reports of how they manage the…

At the earliest grade levels, young Black males, who have been identified by their teachers as "challenging" (in psychological terminology, exhibiting externalizing behavior), have the same disproportionate rate of school suspension and expulsion as their older counterparts (Gilliam, 2005; Lewis, Butler, Bonner, & Joubert, 2010;…

Teachers may not be trained on how to prevent or address school violence and/or may lack the skills necessary to provide adequate intervention strategies. The purpose of this study was to explore urban K-6 teachers' perceptions of school violence at one metropolitan school. The conceptual framework for this study was supported by Bronfenbrenner's…