School leaders need effective, affordable approaches to retain their teacher workforce. We investigated a promising, low-cost option for school leaders to encourage teacher retention: subject-area specialization in elementary grades (K-5). Using data on North Carolina elementary grades teachers and schools in the 2011-2012 through 2015-2016…

Schools are increasingly adopting universal social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to support students' prosocial development and academic success. When adopted across contexts and student populations, SEL interventions can be implemented in different ways, particularly under typical classroom conditions that are not part of research efficacy…

Three studies examined if teachers' beliefs about writing predicted their efficacy to teach writing. We surveyed primary grade teachers from Taiwan (N = 782), Shanghai (N = 429), and the United States (N = 214). At each location, teachers completed surveys assessing attitudes toward writing and the teaching of writing, beliefs about students'…

A key lever for improving instructional quality centers on providing teachers with professional development (PD) opportunities customized to their instructional needs. To examine whether teacher evaluation reforms led such PD opportunities, we explored the extent to which teachers received PD based on their instructional profiles. To do so, we…

This multiple case study explored how elementary school teachers use technology, especially for generative science learning, and why they use it the way they do. Data were collected through qualitative methods (interviews and observations) from seven elementary school teachers. The results showed that the participant teachers used technology…

There is an apparent need to identify resource- and time-efficient approaches to supporting teacher implementers of behavioral interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief training and intermittent performance feedback coaching model on teacher implementation of a multicomponent behavioral intervention.…

The importance of mathematics in early grades has been well established. Two variables that are associated with mathematics achievement are student-teacher relationships (STR) and student type (students identified with a disability and students not identified with a disability). The current study investigated the interaction between perceived STR…

Providing academic feedback is strongly related to student achievement, yet there is little observational research examining the feedback provided by elementary classroom teachers. Informed by Hattie and Timperley's model of feedback, we conducted an observation study examining the type and direction of feedback provided in 33 teachers'…

The rapidly changing landscape of instructional materials in elementary education has involved both a wider range of available materials, particularly online, as well as increasing use of materials provided to teachers by other teachers on sites such as Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers. In this commentary, I outline three key shifts in…

Policy efforts in mathematics have focused on increasing teachers' mathematics content knowledge (MCK), with the goal of increasing teacher quality and in turn increasing student mathematics learning. An alternative approach to increasing student mathematics achievement is to investigate curricula that can be effectively used by teachers with a…

This multicase study seeks to privilege teachers' voices related to their experiences within a year-long job-embedded professional development (PD) program. The district initiated the request for PD, which was negotiated and provided by a literacy educator from a nearby university. Eleven second- and third-grade teachers and the language arts…

This article reports on changes in science discourse practices of four teachers who participated in an extended professional development (PD) program. Teachers were selected for their different patterns of improvement in the quality of their classroom discourse during their participation in the program. Analyses of their practices to support…

This article describes the challenges and triumphs in introducing music in the primary division of a private elementary school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data sources included classroom observations, field notes, lesson plans, professional development materials, photographs, audio-recordings, videos, surveys, and interviews. Data were analyzed using…

This article describes the professional development initiative called Effective Behavioral and Instructional Support Systems (EBISS). The initiative focuses on an integrated, multitiered framework that provides literacy and behavioral supports based on students' needs. Systems coaching can be an implementation driver, but little is known related…

Teaching that supports children in scientific sensemaking emphasizes discourse that prioritizes children's ideas and supports children in engaging in disciplinary practices. However, supporting science talk requires skillful instruction, and without support, teachers may find it challenging to engage our youngest students in rich discussions. In…