The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perceptions of the influence of professional learning communities on teachers' professional practices. Research shows that the adjustment from college student to the teaching environment for new teachers has increased through involvement on committees, collaboration with peers, and hands-on…

This action research study was conducted in an elementary school with a team of seven fourth- grade teachers. Transcripts of the fourth-grade teachers' discussions during their common planning sessions were recorded and analyzed. The data revealed that during collaborative planning sessions the teachers repeatedly referred to authentic…

Researchers have endorsed teacher collaboration within a professional learning community (PLC) that is focused on student learning. Despite these research-based endorsements, several Algebra 1 teachers in a southeastern high school implemented components of a PLC with little or no results in student achievement. The purpose of this study was to…

This is a story about teachers engaging in mathematics teacher leadership. The focus is on the teachers' learning, and the purpose is to illuminate the process. The setting is a semester-long graduate class called Teacher Leadership in Mathematics Education, and the characters are elementary and middle school teachers. Those in this group…

To meet the intentions of the New Zealand Curriculum 2007 teachers must critically reflect on their role and their idea of what defines "best practice" for teaching and learning in the twenty-first century. The teacher's role has changed considerably over time. There is now, more than ever, a need for much greater transparency,…

One form of professional development available to faculty is the opportunity to co-teach. Studies of team teaching report increased communication between teachers and students and improved retention and achievement. This article describes a multiyear collaboration between two faculty members that began with a training relationship and expanded…

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether the instructional and administrative leadership practices of principals and professional collaboration of teachers predict teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction in Turkish middle schools. Design/methodology/approach: By applying a causal comparative design and a multilevel…

Investigating the effectiveness of inclusive practices in science instruction and determining how to best support high school students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in the general education classroom is a topic of increasing research attention in the field. In this study, the researchers conducted a single-subject multiple probe across…

Many general education educators have little pre-service preparation or in-service professional development for teaching students who are English language learners (ELL). Yet, ELLs are one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States. While teachers typically espouse the view that all students can learn, they do not often have…

A quasi-experimental design and multiple regression analysis were used to examine responses of 153 preservice general and special education teachers as a function of (a) participation in an introductory special education course and (b) viewing a co-teaching video (Friend, 2005) versus observing an inclusive classroom. Based on responses to pre-…

In 1973, Jim Gallagher convened an interdisciplinary group of eminent scholars and practitioners to address the critical issue of underrepresentation of minority children within gifted education. Underrepresentation of culturally different children stems from a complex combination of societal, economic and political, and personal factors. J. J.…

Current professional development initiatives show a preference for whole school approaches. However, pedagogy related to English language learners (ELLs) is often not widely dispersed in New Zealand primary schools, impacting on teacher efficacy with these learners. This paper discusses findings from a qualitative study which aimed to identify…

The qualitative changes in teachers' responses in challenging situations were analysed during a four-day Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET) course, which aimed at improving teachers' interpersonal dynamics with pupils, parents and colleagues. The participants were 21 teachers from one elementary and 23 teachers from one secondary school…

The field of special education continues to have lower teacher retention rates compared to general education. As a result, concerns over the quality of special education teachers' professional experiences have risen. Both general and special education teachers have their ideal views of the profession, including ample classroom facilities,…

Lauded as a rewarding pedagogical approach, community-engagement can be time-consuming, resource-intensive, and difficult for instructors to manage for effective student learning outcomes. Collaborative teaching can allow instructors working in the same classroom to draw from each others' expertise and share resources. In this essay, we propose a…