Background and Context: There is a need for teachers who are prepared to teach integrated CS/CT throughout the K-12 curriculum. Drawing on three vignettes of teacher instructional practice, we build on a growing body of literature around how teachers integrate CS/CT into their classrooms after attending CS/CT focused professional development.…

In March 2020, the global health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant changes in classrooms around the world. This paper is part of a larger study that investigated how Utah teachers across the state adapted to technology integration during that period. Specifically, we present interview findings from ten teachers in…

The purpose of this study is to examine the professional development (PD) needs of Chinese dual language immersion program (DLI) educators, particularly the PD supports these teachers receive. This instrumental case study examined the professional learning of four Chinese language DLI teachers through semi-structured interviews and observations of…

This study examined Spanish-English dual language (DL) K-6 teachers in collaborative professional development as they worked towards achieving the bicultural goal of DL education, beyond traditional interpretations, and incorporating sociopolitical consciousness as a fourth goal. These two principles are part of the transformational DL educational…

Culturally relevant pedagogy receives limited attention in many U.S. dual language classrooms. This article focuses on understanding the barriers eight elementary Spanish-English dual language teachers saw as preventing the implementation of culturally relevant pedagogy in their urban classrooms. Employing critical sociocultural theory and drawing…

This qualitative study explored reasons K-6 teachers did or did not engage students regularly in writing. Interviews with 14 teachers, classified as high, transitional, and low implementers of writing instruction, revealed three themes: hindrances and helps, beliefs concerning practice, and preparation and professional development. Both high and…

Civic and character education are both essential pillars that support the mission of public schools. Utah teachers and schools take this responsibility very seriously, and work diligently and creatively to provide content and pedagogy that supports effective civic and character education. This report is provided to the Utah State Legislature to…

Approximately 30 states are now adopting teacher evaluation policies that include student learning objectives (SLOs), which are classroom-specific student test growth targets set by teachers and approved (and scored) by principals. Today state and district leaders are trying to determine the appropriate level of guidance and oversight to provide…

"The Right Trajectory" brings to the forefront an often-overlooked voice in the debate about new state assessments developed in consortia: that of the best teachers in the country. This research suggests, despite challenges still to overcome, that these front-line experts believe that the new consortia tests are an improvement on the…

This paper addresses the strengths and challenges of university-based service learning projects, using preservice elementary teachers in an undergraduate social studies methods course as a model for implementing service learning in university courses. The goal of the project was to provide future teachers with the motivation and experience in…

Here we describe a method for teaching the NOS called "Science as Storytelling," which was designed to directly confront narve realist preconceptions about the NOS and replace them with more sophisticated ideas, while retaining a moderate realist perspective. It was also designed to foster a more sophisticated understanding of the…

The study uses Foucault's framework of governmentality to understand the impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on teachers' writing instruction and attitudes toward writing in high- and low-income schools. Using interviews and observations of 18 teachers, the study identified four themes: emphasis on testing, curricular effects, awareness of…

One of many reasons that keep Orem, Utah's residents firmly planted right where they are may have something to do with the superior schools--and teachers--in the Alpine School District. This article describes one such teacher, Toni Zundel Boyer. Boyer, a third grade teacher and literacy coach, developed her own reading and writing materials that…

DEFINING AND DESCRIBING GOOD TEACHING AND THE PROCESS BY WHICH IT CAN BE DETERMINED WITH RELIABILITY WERE THE GOALS OF THIS STUDY. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD TEACHERS WERE DIFFERENTIATED, TEACHING ACTS OF GOOD TEACHERS WERE DEFINED, AND AN OVERALL DESCRIPTION OF GOOD TEACHING WAS DEVELOPED. AS A RESULT OF THE STUDY, A MODEL FOR GOOD TEACHING WAS…

This qualitative study examined the use of WebQuests as a teaching tool in problem-based elementary methods courses. We explored the potential of WebQuests to address three dilemmas faced in teacher education: (a) modeling instruction that is based on current learning theory and research-based practices, (b) providing preservice teachers with…