The importance of improving schools, increasing teacher quality, and improving student learning has led to an increased focus on teachers' professional learning and development (PLD). When organising PLD sessions in schools, it is crucial that they are well understood and that the needs of teachers are considered. This study aimed to examine…

This multi-methods investigation was conducted to examine the experiences of preservice and in-service elementary teachers (n=11) from rural and American Indian Reservation communities who participated in an NSF-funded Research Experience for Teachers (RET), a summer residential research-focused professional development experience. The primary…

Purpose: This study explored teachers' perceptions of a specific, collaborative peer observation structure, collegial visits, and collegial visits' connection to collective teacher efficacy (CTE). The research question was: how do teachers perceive collegial visits, particularly with respect to their influence on CTE? Design/methodology/approach:…

Interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has gained momentum due to increasing calls for a more STEM-literate society. As teaching integrated STEM poses curricular and pedagogical challenges for most generalist primary teachers, professional development (PD) is essential to support them to develop appropriate knowledge…

Elementary teachers are expected to teach all relevant material in all areas of the curriculum to their students. Even after completing excellent teacher preparation programs, these teachers often have little confidence teaching mathematics. In fact, many of these teachers have negative feelings toward mathematics from their own classroom…

The "A Nation at Risk" report was released in 1983 and enumerated systemic flaws in the U.S. education system, highlighting science education as an area of concern (Denning, 1983). Over a generation later, a new opportunity has emerged to improve science education for all students, and especially the youngest learners. The Next…

High turnover and attrition of teachers negatively impacts student achievement and instructional quality (Borman & Dowling, 2008). Studies show attrition disrupts learning, increases workload, and erodes school culture (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019, Schaefer et al., 2012). Addressing these challenges necessitates better support…

In this study the researcher seeks to address the national problem of exorbitant financial commitments to math proficiency that still leaves elementary schools failing to meet with success on state assessments. The researcher examines the scope of teacher preparation within mathematics, both at the pre-service and in-service level which…

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…

Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) is widely acknowledged as essential for educational achievement and fostering continuous learning skills (Taranto & Buchanan, 2020). As a result, there has been a marked escalation in embedding SRL criteria within academic curriculums, including primary education (De Smul et al., 2020; Heirweg et al., 2021).…

Many researchers have argued that teachers are the most important school-related factor to increasing a student's academic performance. In turn, schools often turn to professional development (PD) to strengthen educators' performance and knowledge levels. Indeed, PD can be a prime tool to improve school performance. However, its efficacy is…

The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the extent to which the relation between teacher reported (N = 26) teaching efficacy and observations of classroom quality varied as a function of a specific classroom characteristic, classroom adversity, a measure of classroom level hardship that includes factors such as student challenges with…

Drawing on adult learning theory, this article proposes a coaching stance that is conducive to cultivating teacher agency and developing teacher effectiveness. As university-based teacher educators and literacy coaches in a large urban school district, the authors describe the evolution of three distinct coaching stances, based on a 3-year…

This study is a secondary data comparative analysis using the "Leader in Me" Measurable Results Assessment (MRA) to examine whether teachers at "Leader in Me" Lighthouse certified schools have a greater degree of instructional self-efficacy than teachers at non-Lighthouse certified "Leader in Me" schools. Literature…

There is an increase in the identification of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the country. There is also an emphasis on inclusion within the classrooms in the country. This qualitative study addresses the need for teachers to grasp more knowledge about Autism so that they can help children with autism have better access to…