While there has been a recent focus on developing programs to support educational research by community college anatomy and physiology instructors, there is not yet an established long-term community of practice (CoPs) in this particular area. Studies of long-term CoPs, particularly in STEM education, are few and far between. This study examines…

This paper examines national, state, and local factors impacting the creation of a new dual language immersion program (DLI) program in a Midwestern school district, a relatively understudied regional context. Using a critical bifocal lens and an ethnographic case study methodology, we examined two main questions: first, why was the DLI program…

Teachers set the tone for their classrooms, but what teacher beliefs shape students' sense of belonging? We investigate how teachers' mindsets--or their beliefs about learning and school--relate to adolescents' individual and collective reports of classroom belonging. Our pre-registered analyses include a multilevel design of how 1,200 US middle…

Teacher retention studies often focus on why teachers leave the profession, but this article suggests that focusing on why teachers stay situates rural school and community assets as the foundation to reform. The research design is a collective case study of three rural Wisconsin school districts, and findings are based on interviews and focus…

This article examines the racializing processes throughlining the meaning-making of a Guru Vandana--an annual teacher appreciation event organized by many Asian Indian communities across the U.S.--that took place in a Midwestern city in 2019. Guided by a framework of transmodalities (a novel lens for the analysis of multimodal semiosis) and…

Based on increased demand for educational programming, leadership at Schmeeckle Reserve, a campus natural area in Stevens Point, WI explored the needs for expanded environmental education efforts. In 2014, a three-phased needs assessment framework was employed to explore educational programming offered in the community. Results from interviews and…

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated teacher collaboration in unprecedented ways, ensuring students continued to learn amid unforeseen obstacles. In this study, I explored how trust relationships were perceived within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and with building administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic using a theoretical framework…

This article explores the fundamental role of teachers' lives as they work to create and maintain a small dual-language school. The Appleton Bilingual School (ABS) is chartered by the Appleton Area School District in northeast Wisconsin. ABS was established with the support of city and school district officials and has maintained that support…

Corequisite remediation involves placing students who have been designated as underprepared directly into college-level courses with concurrent supports--such as in-class tutoring, online learning labs, or a supplemental class--rather than making them take non-credit-bearing developmental courses first. Despite the growing number of studies on…

Rivers2Lake helps teachers learn to provide watershed educational experiences for students through a summer institute followed by mentoring. Teacher focus groups were conducted to investigate the impact of mentoring, as well as toward understanding what was influential in bringing about those impacts. Mentoring impacted teachers in affective ways…

In this paper, I present a design case of the problem-identification process prior to the initiation of a Networked Improvement Community (NIC). A NIC is a type of research-practice partnership (RPP) that brings together researchers and practitioners to tackle complex problems of practice, and in doing so, proposes a social reorganization of the…

Libraries are learning hubs that connect families to free resources, activities, and services to cultivate children's learning about topics that excite them. Despite recent technological developments which have revolutionized how we read and access information, libraries continue to evolve in order to serve their communities, especially families…

Although policymakers generally appreciate the value of crafting policies that are responsive to teacher and principal voice, doing so in a systematic way is challenging. Educator voices in the room when policies are made are often those of teachers and principals closest to policymakers. In 2019, to broaden the range of educator voices available…

In 2014, community colleges are overcrowded, underfunded, and serve a diverse population. Community colleges are looking for innovative ways to meet the growing demands of their nontraditional student body on a shrinking budget. Increasing their online offerings appeared to be a perfect solution. Unfortunately, research has shown that community…

Those who work to develop and manage community-based leadership programs have long been concerned with how to sustain them--to keep them healthy and useful. But focusing on how to sustain programs requires exploring what sustainability means. This paper reports on interviews with 41 community-based leadership education program coordinators. In…