Despite research examining why teachers leave at such high rates, the intractable problem of attrition persists. Recently, teacher preparation programs have reported lower enrollment trends, and K-12 schools have reported higher attrition rates. Considering that one critical component of the problem is retention, more work is necessary to explore…

The study of dispositions for effective teaching has become a key topic in education. Diverse characteristics, skills, and behaviors have been proposed as centrally important. Nevertheless, little work has been done on evaluating these disparate claims, or whether importance varies across primary and secondary teaching contexts. We address these…

In this article, I explore this question: How can teachers, especially new teachers, create school spaces that present humanizing images and stories of people who were enslaved, particularly people of African descent in the United States? To explore this question, drawing from an ethnographic study of teachers at an elementary school in the U.S.…

This article explores how an experienced teacher navigates the demands of curriculum to implement her inquiry-centered teaching and learning philosophy, and how administrators along the way supported her during this change. Interviews with this classroom teacher surface suggestions for twenty-first-century professional development and support,…

Following worldwide trends in an effort to combat attrition rates of novice teachers, mentoring of new teachers has become a common practice. However, not all experienced teachers have the supervision and leadership skills necessary to guide new teachers through their first difficult year. In order to solve this problem, various programs have been…

Beginning teachers most often are viewed as needing significant support in all areas of teaching. As a result, professional development (PD) associated with induction programs typically is presented by experienced professionals. This article describes one induction program's attempt to draw on the strengths within its network, engaging new…

In a policy climate driven by tests and external mandates, theories of school reform that place teachers, their knowledge, and their relationships at the heart of school improvement have garnered attention as promising alternatives. Yet little exists in print about how such theories actually work or what these approaches look like in practice.…

This article examines a pilot program's mentoring component involving first-year interns and veteran teachers in relation to new teachers' needs and effects regarding support and professional development. Mentoring along with delayed work requirements and evaluation increased interns' adjustment to teaching. However, emotional and technical…

This article discusses what it means to be a beginning teacher from the perspective of four mid-career entrants to the profession. Findings from this ethnographic study suggest that regardless of preservice teacher preparation or school districts' formal induction practices, newcomers experience a dramatic threshold or liminal phase among…

Recently developed Professional Development School standards underscore the importance of professional learning community, inquiry, shared decision-making and a focus on student learning. These standards closely mirror the goals of "Critical Friends Groups," a significant movement in education to improve student achievement through…