The State of Illinois adopted the Illinois Learning Standards for Mathematics on June 24, 2010 as a means for students to succeed in college, in a career and in life. The new standards had instructional shifts in content and practice that differed from the 1999 Illinois Learning Standards. The new mathematics standards contained fewer topics for…

Teacher educators have an obligation to prepare preservice teachers with the skills and dispositions necessary to promote a socially just world. Yet the results of this study uncovered that the majority of elementary preservice teachers in a national sample (N = 846) have a simplistic perception of good citizenship consistent with what Westheimer…

This mixed method study combined the paradigms of quantitative and qualitative research to examine how iPads are used from teachers' perspectives. In the first phase, the researcher collected and analyzed the quantitative data from classroom observations. The second phase consisted of collecting and analyzing the qualitative data to help explain,…

This study examined the collective teacher efficacy in selected elementary schools, specifically exploring the extent to which those schools demonstrate collective efficacy, the nature of collective efficacy in those schools, and the underlying belief systems and tacit assumptions that may inform that efficacy. The first phase of a mixed methods…

A significant body of research exists which examines the impact of one-to-one laptop programs on student learning in the classroom environment. However, there are a limited number of studies that examine the impact of one-to-one tablet technology programs on student engagement and the teacher instructional practices that influence engagement. The…

"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 mixed methods study examines what makes Bluffview Elementary School a success as measured by the ISAT, the mandated state test of Illinois. Despite national reports of achievement gaps and low test scores, Bluffview Elementary has shown sustained success in educating children. This paper reviews how Bluffview Elementary students are achieving…