Background: Education seems to be in a state of constant change, though change initiatives rarely make it to the classroom in the manner and scope intended. Despite positive intentions and an enormous allocation of resources--money and time--the classroom has historically been buffered from the change context. A concrete manifestation of this…

Neuroimaging research has transformed understanding of how the brain responds to instructional methods, with active instruction demonstrating exceptional learner benefits. This is valuable information for educators across learning formats in higher education, including in-person, hybrid, and online classrooms. Calibrating pedagogical practices to…

More attention should be placed on student engagement and the teaching of lessons that promote equitable opportunities to learn science in a way that students can relate to and enjoy. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate and improve student engagement in urban elementary science classrooms. Also, to discover how best to…

The purpose of this study was to explore how instructional coaches used research-based strategies to personalize their support for teachers. It also examined the larger implementation factors that helped or hindered their facilitation of such professional learning in a single district context. This included the adaptation of instructional coaching…

Skilled and Technical Science Educators (STSEs) enter the teaching field with little to no practical training. This lack of experience produces educators who need professional learning opportunities that draw upon their past knowledge and provide them with a community in which they can learn. The support these educators require extends beyond…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore with a group of nine NYC high school department chairs from three different Modern Orthodox yeshivas, their perceptions of their role and responsibilities, their perceptions on how they manage any challenges they might face, how they support professional growth through any of the four…

This study examined the variations between providing secondary-school teachers with collaborative professional development (PD) and traditional PD. Although the U.S. local and federal governments spend billions of dollars on teacher PDs each year, there is still a debate on the effectiveness of those trainings. Research suggests that the most…

This disquisition (a dissertation-in-practice model) provides an analysis of an improvement effort aimed at closing opportunity gaps by increasing educators' equity consciousness. The scholarpractitioner's theory of improvement posited that an increase in equity consciousness (deeper understanding of the inequities present within schools) leads to…

Despite teachers being centrally implicated in teacher evaluation policy reform, we know little about the effects of its policies and procedures on teachers' work in their school district, and we see limited discussion about the possibility of teachers as policy actors to reflect upon and possibly improve or overcome teacher evaluation. Using data…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to examine the thoughts and feelings of teachers when utilizing video-assisted micro-teaching to reflect on their practice. Research questions included how, and in what ways video-assisted micro-teaching helps teachers reflect on their teaching and in what ways video reflection…

The purpose of this action research study was to improve the implementation of a large-scale redesign of teacher preparation programs at Arizona State University. This was a highly complex redesign that impacted over 150 courses across 27 programs, involving more than 200 faculty and 2,500 students annually. As a result, implementing the redesign…

Schools are complex and dynamic systems that require innovative leaders who are willing to invest in classroom teachers by giving them opportunities to lead beyond the four walls of the classroom. Because principals play an integral role in the academic achievement of students in their schools, it is incumbent upon principals to invest in teacher…

This study examines the role of creativity in K-12 public school classrooms with a focus on how to best support students' creative potential, implement creativity in the classroom, and provide teacher development in this area. The current literature demonstrates the challenge of implementing 21st century skills such as creativity due to the…

This study analyzes instructor attitudes toward 26 collaborative spaces at a large, R1 university in the United States. The authors conducted 151 interviews with instructors, identifying elements of classroom spaces that helped or hindered teaching and student learning. Approximately 44% of the instructors (n=67) had participated in a professional…

As excellence in teaching and learning, in combination with a focus on student performance rates, are guiding the demands placed on higher education institutions, modern universities are attributing strategic importance to leadership of teaching and learning. Previous studies on educational leadership have, nevertheless, identified significant…