As many American teachers have or will experience unsafe working conditions (McMahon et al., 2014), it is critical to understand the role real or potential violence can play in shaping teachers' perceptions and experiences of their work. This study affirmed the critical need for researchers to understand teacher perceptions of workplace gun…

In order to design professional learning that supports rural science teachers to effectively implement standards-based "five-dimensional" (5D) instructional and assessment practices, a critical first step is to elicit their perspectives, prior experiences, concerns, and interests. Based on survey data from 87 rural science teachers in…

Teachers are increasingly dissatisfied. In one recent survey, 47 percent of teachers said they were not enthusiastic about their jobs, and another showed a sharp drop in teacher satisfaction since 2008, from 62 to 39 percent. This dissatisfaction does not stem from what one might think--stresses related to dealing with students and families.…

Those who choose to teach special education have accepted some of the most challenging jobs teaching has to offer. Unfortunately for their students, almost half of special education teachers leave the profession within their first five years (Singer, 1992). Finding and keeping qualified special education teachers in positions working with more…

In fall 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project to test new approaches to measuring effective teaching. The goal of the MET project is to improve the quality of information about teaching effectiveness available to education professionals within states and districts--information that…

Surveyed traditional and charter school teachers to determine their perceptions of the teacher's role, the teaching and learning processes, and teacher empowerment. Results indicated that there were some differences, but the two groups had more in common than not. Charter school teachers did not have deeper involvement in curricular decision…