Legislation based on the Science of Reading has spurred changes in teacher preparation and K-12 schools. Texas, a frequent leader in educational policy, adopted its own Science of Teaching Reading (STR) Framework with a focus on scientifically based instructional practices. Adoption of these standards is intended to improve methods of teaching…

Purpose: This study examined the policy processes that occurred during the creation of social studies state standards across 18 states and the District of Columbia. Research Methods/Approach: Using a critical education policy studies approach, researchers analyzed policy documents, media reports, and interviews with state standards panel…

This article examines the work experiences of academics in Spanish universities with respect to how individuals are affected by the complex requirements of neoliberal compliance and a culture of endogamy, often referred to as 'academic inbreeding'. The need to evaluate and be accountable for most aspects of academic work is relatively new in Spain…

Part of the reason many districts fail to achieve the promise of high-quality professional learning is that they operate with what the authors call a "PD mindset." This mindset manifests in sporadic, one-time events, inservice sessions, guest speakers, webinars, and workshops that are not part of a larger plan or vision. The authors…

This study deploys Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to understand how educational standards take shape. To exemplify the inherently collective nature of standards and contingency in the process of standardisation, this study will present a case of the CEFR-J project launched by a group of Japanese university academics to modify the "Common European…

Unsustainable student debt and a precarious labor market continue to raise public doubts over the value of a college degree. Observers note decades of grade inflation, eroding confidence in academic standards. Yet little attention has been paid to the perceptions of professors themselves. This report fills the gap by surveying 223 tenured…

The purpose of this participatory action research (PAR) project was to support teachers to integrate play as a primary pedagogy in the math program. The theory of action was: If teachers develop a mathematical program integrating play pedagogy, then teacher capacity will expand to support the implementation of play in math instruction. I conducted…

Teachers have had to use standards to teach with since the 1980's. The CCRS has made a significant shift in how standards are written and the expectations of students in learning them. With the three-dimensional design, teachers are required to change their pedagogy in order to implement the standards with fidelity. That requires training,…

In this study, I documented, analyzed, and compared the thought processes of six high school science teachers during twenty minutes of planning for NGSS-aligned instruction. Teachers' thoughts were captured using a virtual revisit think-aloud protocol and their thoughts were analyzed and compared using a novel tool called a thinking web. A…

In recent years, there has been a shift back toward standardized assessment scores as an accountability metric for school districts from state policy makers. In response, Standards Based Grading has become a popular reform among school districts as a means to provide a greater predictability of student outcomes on standardized assessments.…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain understanding of how Midwestern kindergarten teachers use developmentally appropriate play-based practices to support the standards in their classrooms. Five participants were selected based on meeting the criteria of being a kindergarten teacher in a Midwestern school district who incorporates…

We examined 45 academic integrity policy documents from 24 publicly-funded universities in Canada's four western provinces using a qualitative research design. We extracted data related to 5 core elements of exemplary academic integrity policy (i.e., access, detail, responsibility, approach, support). Most documents pointed to punitive approaches…

We live in an era of rapid technological change. Not only must citizens contend with social problems presented by new and more invasive technologies, but they must also make sense of older technologies that can be viewed as natural to the world. We sought to answer the question, how is technology included and framed in K-12 content social studies…

Despite being faced with major barriers to overcome, local school districts and teachers must work to align their instructional practices in science and their assessment practices to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (NJSLS-Science). As described in the literature, a…

The purpose of grading is to measure progress and assess learning. As students' progress through school, a record of their progress and learning serves as a demonstration of knowledge gained. Educators, students, parents, and other stakeholders agree that grading, or assessment of some sort is necessary. The most prevalent grading system is the…