Science teachers inspire in part by their constant adaptation to the learning needs of their students and to evolving content, curriculum, technology, and student populations. Innovation--bringing novel things to a situation to confer a benefit--is an integral part of teaching overall, and in especially inspired science teaching. While innovation…

In this study, we examined six preservice teachers' learning of knowledge for secondary English-language learners (ELLs). The results indicated that the Student Teacher Enrichment Program helped preservice teachers become aware of the strategies for teaching ELLs and realize the discrepancies and differences between ELL code and linguistic…

This article uses the blog entries of student teachers to examine what they learn during their internships. Data reveal how novice teachers, for better or worse, are socialized to conform to the status quo, thereby calling the current model for student teaching into question. The article argues that a better model for student teaching would…

To be most effective, teacher professional development needs to be designed and based on teachers' needs. This study provides information on topics that 53 middle- and secondary-level mathematics teachers believed would be beneficial in future training programs. The teachers had participated in a 2-year Teacher Quality Grant focused on…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" outlines fundamental elements that are crucial for creating a problem-solving and inquiry-driven classroom learning environment that highlights conceptual understandings of mathematics ideas. Even though this document outlines…

Public schools are continually pressed to meet the demands of an increase of a culturally and linguistically diverse population, compounded by the pressures exerted by the No Child Left Behind legislation and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Indicated is a need for multicultural understandings in courses and field…

This article reports descriptive findings of a qualitative investigation of early-career teachers' perceptions of their preparedness to teach diverse learners in high-need, high-potential urban schools. Interviews revealed new teachers' insights into their teacher preparation programs and the challenging expectations involved in teaching diverse…

This phenomenological study of one charter school teacher sought to answer the question, what is it like to be a teacher in a charter school? Exploring issues of preparation, working conditions, and job satisfaction, this teacher expressed a range of emotions about her chosen work environment. I found that the pervasive stress surrounding her work…

The relationship between Brighton High School (BHS) and Boston College (BC) spans several decades. Professors from multiple departments at the university--not only teacher educators but professors of psychology, measurement, and arts and sciences--have walked, as regular parts of the school community, the halls of the gothic-style high school…

Schools of education are increasingly under attack. In a speech delivered at Teachers College, Columbia University, in 2009, education secretary Arne Duncan charged that the nation's schools of education were "doing a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the realities of 21st-century classroom." Although teachers unions have borne the brunt of…

Urban schools reflect their surroundings. Urban areas are becoming characterized by great diversity in race and class as the racial and ethnic makeup of the United States changes. In most urban schools, where the majority of students are minorities and large numbers live in poverty, the teacher attrition rate ranges from 30% to 50% within the…

Faculty members from a Midwestern university elected to compare two models of teacher preparation to determine if there was a difference in their ability to meet the needs of diverse learners. One model, located in professional development schools in the local urban school district, included awareness activities, discussions, and field experiences…

In this article, we examine the findings of a qualitative study exploring high school teachers' perceptions of student behavior problems. Four focus groups, each including four to eight teachers, were conducted through major school districts in two Southwestern states (Texas and Arizona). Descriptive phenomenology was used to identify patterns and…

Teacher education programs are preparing more homogeneous preservice teacher candidates, whereas students in the United States are becoming more diverse. In this article, I describe how 283 preservice teacher candidates gathered responses from interviews with 283 certified teachers (special and general education) during a clinical field…

This article reports findings from a qualitative study of the complexities of introducing preservice teachers to critical pedagogies for urban teaching. The study documents students' reactions to a set of seminar and reflective writing experiences around depictions of urban teachers in popular culture--in particular, Pink Floyd's song "Another…