The intent of this mixed-methods case study was to examine the practices, processes, and associated factors of a school-based team mandated by the district for the purpose of supporting freshmen students during their first year of high school. The study utilized the Theory of Change theoretical framework with the logic model as a reference for…

Collaborative support between teachers is crucial to school success. Communication, openness, and participation are key for creating a climate of trust. Professional relationships based on trust contribute to the development of a common vision for the school. However, building a collaborative atmosphere is challenging. A systematic review was…

This dissertation study explores the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in first-grade classrooms and its impact on student engagement. The study emphasizes the importance of collaborative grade-level teams and teacher support in successfully implementing PBL. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach and takes place in a small rural…

The purpose of this qualitative inquiry study examined principal perceptions of self-efficacy and EB's student achievement. This study collected interview data from a purposeful sample of six elementary, six middle school, and six high school principals from the Region 4 Education Service Center, Harris County area, in the state of Texas utilizing…

Designed to overcome a common barrier to successful implementation of school improvement efforts--entrenched belief systems--this book digs deeper into the power of collective efficacy. Teams with a strong sense of collective efficacy devise ways to make "what's supposed to work" actually work, and find ways to exercise control over…

Background/Context: While current research provides key insights about successful collaboration in which teachers experience deep learning and practice change, few studies analyze the content of teachers' collaborative conversations about instruction. Even fewer explore how the content of collaborative conversations evolves over time, making it…

Objective/Research Question: This paper reports on data collected in a multi-year National Science Foundation grant project involving a professional development (PD) model built to support community college faculty as change agents (CAs). The research question was: How do disciplinary communities of practice (CoP) emerge among community college…

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify and describe the impact of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) within Kern County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County in narrowing the achievement gap in underachieving populations identified as English Language Learners (ELL) and low socioeconomic…

This study identified the relationships among English Language Arts teacher teams, their collaboration in creating formative assessment, and its impact on the academic achievement of middle school students. The setting of this study was two urban private Nursery through Grade 8 elementary schools in 1 New York City district. The design for this…

Founded in Minneapolis by Angela Jerabek, a former school counselor, Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) is an education model built on research about the importance of prioritizing relationships with the power of data. The implementation of BARR at South Fort Myers High School saw dramatic and measurable changes as well as exponential academic…

The learning team cycle as described in "Becoming a Learning Team: A Guide to a Teacher-Led Cycle of Continuous Improvement" by Stephanie Hirsh and Tracy Crow was created to support teams of teachers working on particular lessons and instructional challenges within classrooms. Even as the day-to-day work of classroom teaching continues,…

Purpose: This study explored implementation of the middle school concept (MSC) in Illinois middle-level schools, examining relationships between MSC implementation and schools' relative wealth, racial/ethnic composition, and achievement levels. Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative study utilized a sample of 137 Illinois middle-level…

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' lived experiences in professional learning communities, conceptualized in Ohio as teacher based teams. This study was carried out against the backdrop of state policies addressed to poorly performing schools. School culture must change in failing schools. In order to change culture (Kowalski,…

Teachers' competence in launching and managing pedagogical change collaboratively is crucial for the continuous development of their work as well as for meaningful student learning. However, research on how teachers can thrive in their profession in the changing higher education environment is limited. This study investigated the experiences of…

Background: Data-driven decision making continues to be a common feature of educational reform agendas across the globe. In many U.S. schools, the teacher team meeting is a key setting in which data use is intended to take place, with the aim of planning instruction to address students' needs. However, most prior research has not examined how the…