A systematic approach to the training of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) is required to meet the challenges posed by growing numbers of undergraduate and graduate students. At University College Dublin, educational developers and academic staff across six schools collaborated on the design and phased implementation of context-specific GTA…

This article investigates the cooperation of a teaching team in Swedish upper secondary education over a period of five years. The data collection builds on field studies and partly on a collaborative research approach. Three areas of cooperation have been identified: collaboration among the staff; interactions between the staff and the students;…

This study examined how U.S., Finnish, and Irish educators identified and supported struggling readers. Using Johnston's (2011) framework for evaluating reading interventions and activity theory (Engeström, 1999), we interviewed educators in four U.S., three Irish, and three Finnish schools. In the United States, the adoption of three…

Undergraduate introductory biology courses are changing based on our growing understanding of how students learn and rapid scientific advancement in the biological sciences. At Iowa State University, faculty instructors are transforming a second-semester large-enrollment introductory biology course to include active learning within the lecture…

Successful transition from preschool to primary school is believed to have long-term positive effects on a child's academic performance and social competence. In this study, data were gathered from preschool teachers, primary schoolteachers and parents through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, on their perceptions and…

Raising expectations is nothing new. Every iteration of standards elevates the expectations for what students should know and be able to do. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) is no exception, with standards for content and practice that move beyond memorization of traditional algorithms to "make sense of problems and…

The goal of this study was to determine whether the processes of mentoring and socialization that take place during block teaching practice (BTP) in Tanzania can improve the quality of teacher education. In this essay, "mentoring" refers to all activities geared toward guiding, counseling, monitoring, supervising, and supporting teacher…

This article describes an alternative venue clinical experience that provides advanced literacy specialist candidates and preservice teacher candidates at a small liberal arts university context for advancing their roles and understanding of effective teaching. The article situates our conceptual and pedagogical understandings of teaching and…

This qualitative study examines the change in a preserve program as our faculty members systematically work together to change the culture of our college to one in which everyone assists future teachers to work with ELLs. The iTeach ELL Systems Framework has promoted understanding of the interconnected nature of student learning, which includes:…

In Grades 3 to 5 at a suburban southeastern elementary school, the percentage of students with disabilities (SWDs) who do not meet state standards in science and social studies is greater than that of their nondisabled peers. To address this disparity, district administrators required that proficiency ratings increase for SWDs without providing…

Although English has traditionally been the only language of instruction in Ghana, most young children do not speak English at home. This paper argues that students' academic performance might be improved if their native languages were also used in school. Such an approach offers benefits in areas such as classroom participation, engagement in…

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the largest international survey of teachers and school leaders. Using the TALIS database, this report looks at different approaches to school leadership and the impact of school leadership on professional learning communities and on the learning climate in individual schools. It looks…

The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of educational leadership on student participation in the National Program of Science and Technology Fairs (Programa Nacional de Ferias de Ciencia y Tecnologia [PRONAFECYT]) in the primary schools of Costa Rica. The study identified the role that governmental, community, and school site…

The number of online programs that serve students has increased significantly over the last decade, accelerated by improvements in technology, the growing number of for-profit colleges, and the financial problems at many colleges, for which online programs appeared to offer a solution. Online programs in history, though, are much less common,…

In order to meet the South Dakota Board of Regents requirements for an upper level writing course with global perspective for all graduates, the administration at the University of South Dakota established an interdisciplinary course to be taken by all majors. Two faculty members from different disciplines were assigned to teach each section with…