Using critical race theory and Gloria Ladson-Billings' culturally relevant pedagogy as theoretical frameworks, this thematic narrative analysis study explored the epistemology and ontology of culturally relevant pedagogy by investigating the research question: How do Black novice teachers (years 1-5) become culturally relevant practitioners? The…

Recent publications argue that to prepare teachers of all grade levels to be confident and competent in incorporating environmental education into their classrooms, pre-service teacher training is effective (e.g., J. T. McDonald & Dominguez, 2010). But the systems in which teachers learn and work are complex, making professional learning…

The problem addressed in this study is the decline in the number of teachers in the field of education due to teacher attrition in the first five years of teaching. Teacher attrition can be caused by several factors. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions regarding overall preparedness of novice teachers in…

The first year of teaching has and continues to be fraught with challenges for early educators in public school contexts across the United States. A persistent problem that has been documented across the globe is the ability of novice teachers to engage in developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) with their students. We examine this issue…

The American education system has experienced a change in the racial and ethnic background of the student population nationally and in the Long Island, New York region. Yet, the teaching population remains mostly white and female. Teacher preparation programs train teachers in content, pedagogy, and adolescent development. During the training,…

This case-study examines how first-year educators renegotiated their teacher identities as they transitioned from pre-service teachers (PSTs) to professionals. Both participants graduated from the same Teacher Education Program (TEP) and conducted their student internship in the same school as their first year of teaching. The results of this…

Background: The Noyce Scholarship Program was created to attract and retain science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers in high-need schools. Teacher support networks, and specifically mentorship support, have been linked to increased retention of high-quality teachers in the classroom. Using a sample of Noyce teachers, we…

This paper, coauthored by a graduate student, a professor of education, and four early-career teachers, extends recent scholarly efforts to understand how teachers develop activist identities and how teacher education might support this development. Four researcher-participants, practicing teachers, composed narratives that trace their journeys as…

Teacher recruitment and retention consistently emerge as problematic in research and practice. This is particularly true in difficult to staff areas, such as rural school districts in the United States. As the teacher pipeline continues to decrease and various challenges continue to plague the field, this problem will quickly turn into a crisis.…

This policy brief examines one type of "leak" in the Wisconsin educator pipeline, a leak in the number of recent graduates from one of the state's 40+ educator preparation programs (EPPs) electing to work in Illinois or Minnesota public schools. While this group is numerically small, with just 38 Wisconsin 2017-18 EPP completers working…

Mathematics teacher education programs vary widely in the learning opportunities they offer to prospective teachers. Improving the quality of teacher education necessitates an understanding of which of these learning opportunities have the largest impact on teacher preparedness. To understand this, there must be a meaningful method for assessing…

The purpose of this causal-comparative non-experimental quantitative study was to examine first-year elementary teachers' ratings of their sense of preparedness, compare their ratings based on their ethnicity, and compare teachers' ratings of their preparedness to principals' ratings of first-year teachers' preparedness based on six Texas teaching…

This summary of the policy brief "Leaks in the Educator Pipeline: Wisconsin Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Completers Working in Illinois and Minnesota Public Schools" examines one type of "leak" in the Wisconsin educator pipeline. The source of these "leaks" are recent graduates from one of the state's 40+…

To promote the advancement of teacher recruitment, retention, and reduce attrition, K-12 teachers need to be fully prepared for the complex nature of being in a classroom, a classroom filled with students of all types. There is a unique nature to education and one must recognize the complexity of each individual student. The context of this study…

Background/Context: Teachers enrolled in alternative training and licensure programs may have experiences that lie outside what is considered typical for both preservice teachers and in-service teachers. This article explores the experiences of a growing cadre of "synchronous-service teachers" -- including, but not limited to, Teach For…