Niceness is a socialized disposition, particularly amongst white women, that prioritizes comfort and neutrality while preventing resistance against oppressive systems. Given the demographics of teachers and teacher educators, niceness and whiteness are deeply embedded in programs and institutions. As eight white, female teacher educators, we drew…

Recognizing that university statements about equity, diversity, and inclusion are often cosmetic, performative, or at best, aspirational, rather than indicative of on-campus realities, this project analyzes interpretations of student identity and diversity through publicly available materials. The primary purpose of this research was to…

Rural school leaders are faced with challenges to close the achievement gap between subgroups, mainly general and special education. Schools and school systems face several barriers to move forward with positive trends in the data provided by the Alabama State Department of Education. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions…

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe successful innovations in educational leadership preparation programs. Professors of educational leadership from across the nation nominated innovations of 12 programs. Based on review of descriptions of the innovations provided by nominees, further documentation on the innovations was…

Betsy Rogers is the National Teacher of the Year. She teaches elementary school in Leeds, Alabama, near Birmingham, where she developed a looping class, staying with the same students for two years, from first through second grades. A teacher for 22 years, Rogers earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1974 at Samford University.…

This study examines the effect of school desegregation upon instructional content, teacher qualifications and assignments, and teacher and student attitudes in social studies classes. Questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations were the techniques employed to gather data from 85 Negro and white teachers, 120 Negro and 95 white students,…