Recent innovations in professional development are rife with a wide array of efforts focused on teacher collaboration. In this essay, we address some of the unexamined assumptions about the nature and significance of interactions in teacher professional collaboration, drawing on the concept of the "fourth wall" from theater and film…

This paper focuses on our experiences as higher education workers and the changing work culture that has resulted in the move to online digital labour. The shift to online and remote teaching has had disastrous impacts on academics' ability to both pursue research, and maintain a work-life balance. Examined in this paper is an understanding of how…

Higher education programs are rapidly transitioning online in support of a broader geographic base, working professionals, and, recently, emergency contingencies such as COVID-19. The flexibility of online courses makes them attractive to adult learners; as such, there is much academic discussion about online learning for adult learners and the…

Professional isolation is a perennial problem among academics, but it is especially common among traditionally underrepresented students who lack the social networks that could provide them support. One way to forge stronger social networks among traditionally underrepresented students is through peer mentorship. Underrepresented graduate students…

Despite the outsized influence the Catholic school sector in the United States has on policymaking, research into the organization of Catholic schools has not kept pace with contemporary educational research trends. In this brief paper, we diagnose how conceptual and empirical decisions made within the field of Catholic education resulted in the…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are a prominent form of high-quality professional development (PD) that can provide opportunities for teachers to collaborate, share teaching strategies, reflect on teaching practices, and create mutually supportive and collegial teaching environments. PLCs hold much promise as a PD model for music…

Re-committing to equity work means that equity-oriented educators must reflect on the impact of historical and systemic inequities on minoritized students, accepting that transformative change towards equity takes time and unrelenting and continuous hard work, and it means being willing to pursue educational equity even in the face of fierce…

Interdisciplinary research provides new insight beyond a singular epistemological and methodological framework. Such collaboration can help increase readership outside a narrow disciplinary angle. Likewise, working with scholars outside one's field can help address new questions using a multidimensional approach. However, working within an…

Novice teachers are often discouraged by the problems they encounter in their daily professional practices and they (still) feel unable to cope with. This is also reflected in high drop-out rates in the early stages of teachers' careers. In this paper a theory-informed methodology to support novice teachers' individual and collective professional…

When we embark on a journey, every action revolves around the destination. Of course, not all trips are smooth sailing. We inevitably hit distractions, obstacles, and detours. These challenges threaten to blow us off course, but when we stay focused on the destination rather than the barriers, we can move forward. The same is true in education.…

Distributed peer mentoring networks are a valuable and cost-effective way to support isolated faculty. Our National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded eAlliance project supports 12 such networks for women physics faculty at all ranks and across varied institutions. We discuss how they function for the participants, particularly the advantages of…

Minoritized special education teachers of color often report feeling isolated in their work environments, affecting their sense of belonging and decision to stay in their positions. Although these teachers struggle with their identity in majority White workplaces, they are also often the only voice advocating for students of color eligible for…

Rural school districts throughout the country face increasing challenges with recruiting and retaining beginning teachers due to job demands that include a lack of mentoring, lower salaries than their urban and suburban counterparts, geographic isolation, requirements to take on additional nonteaching duties, and teaching assignments that include…

COVID-19 forced a rapid shift from in-person to online learning in both K-12 and postsecondary schools. Some teachers and students adapted well to the shift while others continue to struggle. Common complaints from teachers who struggle in the new distance learning environment are feelings of isolation and burnout. One of the most significant…