This study aimed to understand preservice teachers' perceptions of culturally responsive teaching within a teacher preparation program, guided by Geneva Gay's Culturally Responsive Teaching Framework. The research questions examined the extent of preservice teachers' knowledge of cultural diversity, their ability to validate the cultural…

Although the education system is beginning to recognize the impact of personal and social contextual factors by incorporating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), it often neglects the sociocultural contextual factors which are vital to the development of students from marginalized groups. The current training practices of preservice teachers…

This dissertation explores the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and WIDA frameworks by elementary education teacher candidates during their internships in classrooms characterized by the presence of Multilingual Learners (MLLs). This embedded case study focuses on the Spring and Fall cohorts of 2023, particularly focusing on…

Teacher preparation programs (TPPs) can equip preservice teachers (PSTs) with skills to implement evidence-based interventions in reading with fidelity by engaging PSTs in carefully designed clinical experience opportunities. Providing PSTs with extensive feedback through coaching is one method to strengthen support for PSTs' implementation of…

University Teaching Experience for Mathematics Prospective Teachers (UTEMPT), an NSF-funded collaborative project, has implemented an innovative version of early field experiences in order to provide preservice mathematics teachers an opportunity to make a meaningful connection between methods-course-content and teaching practices in a college…

Public schools in the United States are becoming increasingly diverse with students from differing racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds bringing to the classrooms varied expectations, experiences, and ways of knowing (Woodward, 2018). While the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2018) projects that the…

The purpose of the study was to investigate preservice teachers' (PSTs) attitudes and beliefs towards their PK-12 field trip (FT) experiences as students, their memories, influences in their lives, impact on their educational approaches and career choices, as well as how, as future teachers, they would implement FTs to their future students to…

This paper is a proposal to address current and future shortages of quality teachers and teacher retention in all areas, but especially those critical need areas such as secondary math and science, and Special Education and World Language in all grades. It further provides a solution to recruit and retain a quality teacher workforce that is more…

The purpose of this research is to examine teacher preparation program faculty's incorporation of collegial content/practices into their preparation of pre-service teachers. Collegiality is a complex construct that describes the peer cohesion of employees, or the extent to which they trust and support one another (Jorde-Bloom 1988B; Harris &…

The Massachusetts edTPA Pilot and Field Test (2010-2013) was launched by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to evaluate the possible adoption of edTPA within that state. Guided by Cochran-Smith et al.'s (2013) Politics of Policy Framework, this mixed-methods study examines this policy initiative by analyzing the…

The dramatic and exponential demographic shift in the United States is more apparent in the public schools than anywhere else, further magnifying the importance of addressing and acknowledging racial and ethnic disparities in education. The increase in racial and ethnically diverse learners requires that teachers engage in Cultural Humility; a…

A professional development program (PSPD) was implemented to improve in-service secondary mathematics teachers' content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and self-efficacy in teaching secondary school statistics and probability. Participants generated a teaching resource website at the conclusion of the PSPD program. Participants' content…

In response to the main federal K-12 law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the teacher education program standards, teacher education programs have tried to address social and emotional learning (SEL) content in their curricula. Adding information on SEL alone may not be enough to overcome the shortenings of many existing early childhood…

This qualitative case study was focused on the edTPA implementation at an urban institution of higher education in the state of New Jersey during the first consequential semester of teacher preparation licensure and credentialing over the fall 2017 semester. This examination encompassed how the participation in an online community, the shared…

This dissertation explores sociocultural factors which influence the choices of language teacher educators deciding what to include in coursework and programs. The term "curricularizing" is used to describe the complex process of selecting, planning, and delivering teacher education content. Conflicting social values create dilemmas for…