Written for the general public, this article unpacks the "dialogue gap" in education and raises concerns about what can happen when groups dependent on one another are not talking. Part of the problem involves a matter of scale; policymakers rarely talk about children as individuals as opposed to as aggregates. The larger policy context…

In recent years, queer youth have been in the media spotlight on issues ranging from attending prom to suicide. As novice teachers adapt to their new profession, in order to truly meet the needs of all students, they must understand the variety of issues that impact their success. Where this topic is concerned, this article fills a major gap in…

In this article, we describe our inquiry and confess how our work as teacher educators weaves through multiple contexts and roles to reinforce a stronger enactment and construction of knowledge and practical relevance. We examined the complex nature of teacher education roles through collaborative self-study. Questions included the following: What…

This study examines the enactment of literacy coaching--one kind of formal teacher leader role--in two districts using data collected from daily activity logs and weekly interviews with 6 coaches over 7 weeks. To provide an in-depth examination, we highlight the case of Diane, a full-time literacy coach working at two elementary schools in one…

The article describes the integration of inquiry, reflective practice, and child-centered teaching approaches in preservice teacher education at the early childhood level. The article reviews relevant literature on the forms and functions of inquiry and reflection as a form of professional development and teacher learning and also describes the…

The purpose of this study was to document four novice secondary teachers' experiences as they progressed from the last year in their teacher education program through their first three years of teaching. Autobiographies, interviews, and focus groups were conducted to record their stories as novice teachers. In addition to the development of their…

This article captures the life histories and professional futures of preservice teachers at three institutions of higher education. In this article, we focus on the experiences and expectations of 4 preservice teachers. We find that, although African American and White preservice teachers both see themselves as advocates for their students, they…

This study examines the experiences of ten first-year English teachers in various school contexts in two Northeastern states. Through a phenomenological approach to in-depth interviewing, teachers were interviewed at the end of their first year of teaching. Commonalities in teachers' experiences include former teachers' influences on their teacher…

Teacher preparation, historically, has involved learning experiences offered by personnel in four distinct settings--faculty in Colleges of Letters and Science, faculty in Colleges of Education, practicing teachers in clinical-based sites, and personnel in local school districts. The disparate nature of these settings often complicates the…

Grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy, this case study explored the practices of a general education classroom teacher teaching middle grade English language learners (ELLs). The purpose of this study was to examine the teacher's beliefs about her role in teaching ELLs, and the relationship between her teaching approaches and the students'…

This article describes a number of internal organizational initiatives within an urban teacher education program designed to foster inclusive, responsive practices by newly licensed general and special education teacher candidates. After implementing a merged preparation program for both special and general educators, we captured faculty and…

This article describes a curriculum developed by the author and the children in her public school kindergarten class. Teaching practices that foster children's intellectual--and overall human--development are documented. The goals and purposes of schooling are discussed as well as issues pertaining to the role of the teacher, structures that…

This article explores the delicate and complex issues immediate to the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. The author places the discussion within the context of learning environments and presents ways in which pre-service and in-service teachers can help create safe and equitable spaces for all learners. Presented are…

In this article, the author identifies two current--and competing--discourses concerning teaching and public education in general. One is the "official" discourse, embodied in "No Child Left Behind" language, with a focus on accountability, standards, credentials, and testing, accompanied by punitive measures for failing to live up to these. The…