The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to assess if and to what extent differences exist in teacher self-efficacy for implementing self-regulated learning (SRL) instruction (direct instruction, providing choices, providing challenges and complex tasks, and building in evaluation) between novice and veteran middle school teachers in…

Approximately 43% of Louisiana teachers leave the classroom within their first five years, the period in which professional practice improves most quickly. As more effective teachers leave, districts are searching for replacements in an increasingly inexperienced candidate pool. To identify possible leading indicators of early-career teacher…

A teacher shortage is a recognized problem in research on public schools. Schools across the United States must hire and retain highly qualified teachers, but the literature indicates teachers with fewer than 3 years of experience are often leaving teaching, creating a possible teacher shortage of 4.2 million teachers by the year of 2016.…

The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine whether significant differences existed in the perceptions of elementary school teachers regarding the presence of the 5 dimensions of professional learning communities (PLCs) in Title I schools scoring above versus Title I schools scoring below the 55th percentile on state…

This study examines one part of a validity argument for portfolio assessments of teaching practice used as an indicator of teaching quality to inform a licensure decision. We investigate the relationship among portfolio assessment scores, a test of teacher knowledge (ETS's Praxis I and II), and changes in student achievement (on…

This report summarizes 2012-2013 AISD REACH peer observation scores, the stability of scores overtime, teachers' perceptions of peer observation, the relationship between peer observation and other measures of teaching, and the program cost.

Using hierarchical linear modeling, student standardized test scores are analyzed to determine the impact of mentoring first- and second-year teachers on their students' achievement. The contrasting group used for comparison consists of experienced teachers in matched schools, grade level, and content area. The study contains data from 300…

The purpose of this study was to explore upper elementary reading classes in a low socio-economic area to determine the effects frequent praise, both academically and socially, have on the zone of proximal development in reading (ZPD[subscript RL], Renaissance Learning, 2006). A causal-comparative study was utilized by observing two groups of…

Forty-two pairs of experienced and novice teachers predicted the rank order of their pupils' scores on the reading and mathematics portions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). The pool of novice teachers were first semester students in the Arizona State University Professional Teacher Preparation Program (PTPP). The experienced teachers in…

This paper describes 10 factors that impact misguided perceptions of teacher preparation and teacher quality, especially elementary teachers prepared in highly-structured, university-based teacher preparation programs: (1) the offshoot of P-12 preparation, prior to attending postsecondary programs; (2) alignment of certification tests to state…