Early childhood education and care (ECEC) leaders are required to have training and experience, given the diversity of responsibilities they have to meet. This paper explores the participation of ECEC leaders in grassroot associations and teachers' unions. Following a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 ECEC…

Despite the outsized influence the Catholic school sector in the United States has on policymaking, research into the organization of Catholic schools has not kept pace with contemporary educational research trends. In this brief paper, we diagnose how conceptual and empirical decisions made within the field of Catholic education resulted in the…

The significant shortages of special educators across the United States, particularly in our rural communities, can negatively affect the delivery of high-quality services that enable young children and families to flourish (National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services, 2019). We present our Project STRIDE…

Preschool teachers have an important place in achieving the goals of preschool education and in assuring its quality. Since vocational alienation affect preschool teachers' performance negatively, main purpose of this study is to investigate factors affecting their vocational alienation. For this purpose 227 pre-school teachers from Turkey…

This phenomenological study explores the experiences of preservice teachers of color in a teacher education program at a predominantly white institution. Participants experienced feelings of isolation, being targeted because of their race, lack of multicultural education in the program, and feelings of tension in wanting to speak out and fearing…

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the levels of occupational professionalism and occupational alienation in kindergarten teachers. Correlational survey model among the quantitative research models was used in the research. In this context, 224 kindergarten teachers were reached via convenience sampling model. The…

This article highlights the power of storytelling as a tool for professional learning for educators and educational leaders, particularly during this time of intense social isolation. Storytelling not only offers opportunities for healing, growth and community building, but also guides and supports educators in creating more equitable spaces for…

The main purpose of this study is to reveal the view of preschool teachers who are in the first five years of the occupation about mentoring programs applied to them. To reveal the experiences and opinions of the teachers, the qualitative research design, phenomenology, was used. To determine the preschool teachers who are in the first 5 years of…

This study aims to investigate preschool teacher-directors' sense of professional isolation, and discover the origins of their isolation at work and coping methods. The qualitative paradigm was the research method. The sample comprised 25 preschool teacher-directors in public municipal preschools, and the semi-structured interview method was used.…

Much recent literature has highlighted the stressful nature of teaching and its relations with teacher and student wellbeing. The present study extended this literature to focus on special education teachers. We first conducted a latent class analysis to characterize patterns of stress and coping among special education teachers (N = 404).…

Much recent literature has highlighted the stressful nature of teaching and its relations with teacher and student well-being. The present study extended this literature to focus on special education teachers. We first conducted a latent class analysis to characterize patterns of stress and coping among special education teachers (N = 404).…

This qualitative multiple case study is a follow-up to a study completed in 2007 that examined characteristics of rural school districts experiencing a high rate of superintendent turnover. The original study design incorporated extensive interviews with participants across four rural school districts; triangulating interview results with…

The pandemic has amplified and exacerbated many of the existing challenges facing the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) and forced the field to innovate and change much of what had become the status quo. The McCormick Center has a 30-year history of providing intensive (6-12 months in duration), cohesive (curriculum content is…

This article explores how three early childhood teachers working in grant-funded preschools within a public school context construct and negotiate their professional identities. Teachers share narratives that contribute to an understanding of how their beliefs, knowledge, and practice are marginalized by the context in which they work. The…

This action research project examined a rural band director's attrition/retention and possible reasons for staying or leaving a position. The purpose of this case study was to describe a rural band director's experience with content-related professional development and support networks, providing access to and a process for collaboration in…