Growing evidence indicates that trusting relationships between mentors and teachers is crucial for effective mentoring. In diverse communities, where the mentor's culture is distinctly different from that of the teachers, it is more difficult to form a trusting relationship because of different cultural norms, values, and beliefs (Johnson-Baily…

Recognizing that low teacher retention in high-needs schools is a pressing problem, this qualitative study explores how two different post-baccalaureate teacher education programs at the same state university prepare their graduates to persist in the profession. Through interviews with fourth-year teachers who are alumni of the two programs, it…

Located in the Republic of Ireland, and drawing on "figured worlds theory" (Holland et al. 1998), the focus of this paper relates to the shaping of positional identities among a cohort of novice elementary teachers, during their initial year of workplace practice, post-graduation. The concept of "figured worlds" helps make…

This study examines the experiences of educators teaching in and through the arts as they participate in various arts-centered forms of professional development. In particular, the study asks how arts-centered practices promote educator confidence, competence and resilience for teaching in large urban districts. Drawing on the work of Ellsworth…

Previous research at the local level on informal observations of classroom teachers by school principals suggests that the frequency of informal observations has little or no effect on teachers' perceptions of school climate. This study employs School and Staffing Survey (SASS) data to examine to the extent to which these results are replicated or…

Teacher education programs are typically seen as innovative models of teaching, but how do teacher educators stay current in methodologies that reach diverse and underserved students? This study documents the initial teaching concerns of seasoned teacher educators (PK-8th grade), across areas of study, and followed them across two years as they…

This study analyzes teachers' reflective conversations occurring while viewing authentic classroom video captures within a professional learning network. Select video recordings of participating teachers of the PLN were presented in both a small group and large group context. Members of the research team facilitated the discussions and guiding…

This is case study of four students in a teacher preparation course in family engagement. Researchers used Kegan¹s (1982) constructive-developmental framework to understand levels of interpersonal development to analyze activities requiring students to consider the perspectives of a range of families. Results suggest that all four students,…

This empirical study examined teacher self-reported participation (using or not using) and engagement (posting or lurking) in the online Advanced Placement (AP) Teacher Communities (APTC) coinciding with the redesigned AP Biology, Chemistry, and Physics exams and curricula. Prior analyses indicated that APTC participation has positive, direct…