The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift in K-12 educational delivery from primarily in-person classroom instruction to remote learning. Developing broadcast instruction is one way to provide learners who experience barriers to contemporary forms of remote learning, which are typically provided over the internet, a way to access quality mathematics…

Time constraints and the pressure to prioritize ELA and mathematics appear to drive teachers' planning and allotment of instructional time, especially given the widening post-pandemic needs of students. This prioritization can often lead to limited time for social studies instruction. Additionally, high-quality social studies resources (such as…

This mixed methods study focused on gifted education screening practices in North Carolina. Specific focus was on the practice of universal screenings using the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and test preparation measures conducted by one school district. The study collected and analyzed data from regular elementary education and elementary AIG…

The purpose of this self-study guide is to increase the knowledge, skills, and ability of teachers to implement evidence-based instructional practices by improving the effectiveness of literacy coaching. This self-study guide is intended to help administrators, teacher leaders, and coaches determine which components of literacy coaching to…

Cherokee is an endangered Indigenous language. Revitalization efforts often include offering Cherokee language instruction, but these efforts have been hampered by a lack of qualified teachers. An initial licensure program was launched in fall 2019 aimed at supporting Cherokee language renewal via the preparation of teachers. While a step forward,…

Teacher residencies have been an ongoing discussion in the educator preparation world for nearly a decade. This paper describes a promising practice in program design at a university that offers alternative pathways to licensure to meet the demands of school districts, especially in economically disadvantaged communities in one region of the…

Forty-one states and 928 teacher preparation programs across the United States are using the Teaching Performance Assessment (edTPA) as an evaluation tool to determine teacher readiness and/or meet licensure requirements. Nationwide, pre-service special education teachers struggle to demonstrate proficiency in specific areas of the edTPA (i.e.,…

This lesson plan positions students as part of a group of four to six, tasked with creating publicly accessible resources that tell the human stories of climate change. Groups are asked to create an ArcGIS Story Map combining natural scientific research on climate change (CO2 emissions, sea level rise, species extinction, etc.) with social…

Despite numerous calls for science education to be driven by authentic investigation, many laboratory experiences continue to consist of disconnected weekly units during which students carry out instructions that lead to some predetermined finding. This study developed and evaluated a pedagogical design for introductory biology labs where students…

The Common Planning Time Project of the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group (MLER SIG) of the American Educational Research Association provided an avenue through which researchers from throughout the United States could investigate numerous aspects of common planning time in schools. Although several studies have investigated…

This policy brief outlines the Common Core implementation plans for 15 states, including the professional development and resources/tools--such as instructional materials, toolkits, frameworks, crosswalks, and curriculum guides--that each state is providing. The authors suggest that supplemental resources like McREL's Common Core…

Examining repeated classroom encounters over time provides a comprehensive picture of activities. Studies of instructional practices in classrooms have traditionally relied on two methods: classroom observations, which are expensive, and surveys, which are limited in scope and accuracy. Teacher logs provide a "real-time" method for…

"'Do You Want Paper or Plastic?' An Inquiry into Single-Use Grocery Bags" is an inquiry-based, solutions-focused environmental education unit developed for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Field-tested in two U.S. southeastern regions, the unit engages students as informed change makers who investigate the production, consumption, and disposal…

Although elementary school may be a prime stage for building environmental literacy, elementary school teachers face significant barriers to including it in their instruction. Several studies have identified teachers' limited ecological science content knowledge and heavy emphasis on state standards and testing as common constraints to…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the beliefs and practices teachers regularly employ within their classrooms that could lead to increased placement of minorities into alternative, special education settings. This qualitative study involves two elementary schools within a central North Carolina county, the administrative staff at both…