Garden-based learning, a key component of Farm to School (FTS), continues to grow in popularity as a tool for engaging students in hands-on learning. Recent literature calls for professional development to help educators overcome barriers - including a lack of horticulture skills, curricular connections, and time - that often hinder program…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how public-school teachers of English learners (ELs) describe their experiences using direct instruction and explicit instruction to support the academic progress of ELs. The sample included nine ESOL and nine general education teachers of ELs in southeastern Georgia. Constructivist…

Despite the fact that American public schools are subject to First Amendment restrictions that prohibit government establishment of a national religion and interference in individuals' worship practices, there is evidence that Christianity may be privileged over other faith traditions and non-belief in some public school environments (Blumenfeld,…

This study focused on middle school teachers at AB Academy lived experiences of general education teachers who taught students with emotional behavior disorders (EBD) in their inclusion classroom. Due to legislation regarding the students with disabilities being educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE), general education teachers have…

Today, nine out of 10 Americans age 65 and older depend on Social Security benefits to lead a comfortable and secure retirement. Among all Americans over age 65, Social Security makes up more than half of their household income. This brief outlines the history of Social Security benefits in the public sector, describes the safe harbor rule and how…

Many states have recently made or are considering changes to their teacher retirement systems. However, little is known about how teachers value various elements of their retirement benefits versus other aspects of their jobs and compensation. To help alleviate this gap, we use a discrete choice stated preferences experiment embedded in a…

In 2019, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) began exploratory data collection for the School Pension Survey (SPS). The SPS is a new data collection of elementary/secondary school teacher pension data collected at the school district level. The SPS was developed primarily in response to public demand for data on teacher and other…

Given the evidence of positive effects on students of having at least one teacher who shares their race or ethnicity, state boards of education, other state policymakers, and school leaders need to recognize teachers' race and ethnicity as markers of teacher quality. Whether purposefully or not, education systems have long defined teacher quality…

This study aimed to contribute to the empirical literature concerning the factors that contribute to the job satisfaction levels of public and private school teachers. Furthermore, an emphasis was placed on how governmental accountability, school procedures, and workplace characteristics affected levels of job satisfaction. This study focused on…

The purpose of this report is to explore teacher dismissal practices in Georgia. The report analyzes data in the Fulton County School System from 2012 to 2017, the DeKalb county School District from 2011 to 2016, and the Atlanta Public Schools from 2011 to 2013. The goal of this report was to understand: (1) what teacher dismissal practices in…

The school reopening debate has reached an inflection point as districts weigh both the safety and learning implications of returning to in-person education this fall. Challenges with transitioning to distance learning during the spring made it clear that teachers, parents and students needed more and different resources to make supportive,…

Traditionally, teacher salaries have been determined solely by experience and educational attainment. This has led to chronic shortages of teachers in particular subject areas, such as math, science and special education. We study the first long-running statewide program to differentiate teacher pay based on subject area, Georgia's bonus system…

Teachers in Georgia's public schools are unhappy about low pay and poor working conditions impacting their ability to provide a quality education to all students. A qualified teaching staff is an essential resource needed to give students a meaningful opportunity to succeed in school. Despite recent funding increases, Georgia districts are hiring…

This report seeks answers to a straightforward question: "How hard is it to dismiss an ineffective veteran teacher?" Toward that end, the authors constructed a ten-point metric based on three subquestions: (1) Does tenure protect veteran teachers from performance-based dismissal? (2) How long does it take to dismiss an ineffective…

The purpose of the qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of K-5 elementary teacher in Dekalb County, Georgia who perceived the influence of their spirituality on the behavior and academic achievement of students. The sample included 14 elementary school teachers that were purposefully selected from a local…