The master of arts in teaching (MAT) program is a 39-credit graduate program leading to initial teacher certification at the elementary or secondary level in specific content areas. The goal of the program is to provide candidates with the foundational pedagogy and knowledge base necessary to become successful teachers. The digital portfolio…

In this article, we report the regression relations between preservice teachers' academic characteristics and their performance on the Texas Examination of Educator Standards. These academic characteristics include grade point average, reading ability, and critical thinking. The studies indicate that the critical thinking was the best predictor…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are a widespread phenomenon in K-12 education, as they are perceived as a mechanism for enhancing teacher effectiveness and, therefore, student achievement. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on PLCs--particularly, the primary focus that the communities take, teachers' perceptions and…

Reviews have criticized universities for not embedding sufficient praxis for preparing preservice teachers for the profession. The Teacher Education Done Differently project explored praxis development for preservice teachers within existing university coursework. This mixed-method investigation involved an analysis of multiple case studies with…

This study explored the use of video lesson modules in a teaching methodology course to prepare preservice teachers for supporting the English-language development of pupils at K-8 schools. The basic material of a lesson module is a video lesson featuring instruction of an experienced classroom teacher in an English-language development setting of…

This research investigates the link between mathematic teachers' use of English-language learner (ELL) strategies and the mathematics achievement of their students who are ELLs. Interviews and observations of mathematic teachers who taught ELLs were used to document instructional strategies use. The findings from the interviews and observations…

In an effort to improve science and social studies instruction, preservice teachers developed original science, technology, and society units to teach in elementary and middle school classrooms during their clinical field experience. Data revealed that the preservice teachers fell into categories of being skeptics, open-minded instructors, or…

The federal mandate for "highly qualified" teachers, along with heightened scrutiny of public education, has resulted in the development of state-mandated teacher certification examinations across the nation. Since teacher education programs in Texas are held accountable for the success rates of program completers on the Texas Examination of…

This qualitative study examined the experiences of three eighth-grade prealgebra teachers as they planned student sensitive lessons for their ethnoculturally diverse students. The teachers worked in a lesson study group with a diversity consultant, an ESL (English as a second language) teacher who had a variety of multicultural experiences from…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the life experiences and beliefs of highly effective teachers exhibiting effective classroom management. This study explores the beliefs, background, and experiences of exemplary teachers in the area of classroom management. The goal of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of how individuals…

This article presents a framework for establishing inquiry as a foundation of a teacher education program to help prospective and practicing teachers view inquiry not as a project but as a stance. Cochran-Smith and Lytle (2009) assert that "working from an inquiry stance involves a continual process of making current arrangements problematic,…

As two teacher educators teaching two sections of a master's action research capstone course, we analyze (1) course content and pedagogy, (2) evolving beliefs about research, and (3) transformations in question posing as students assume the role of researchers. Our theoretical frame draws on teacher research, social justice advocacy, and the…

Entering a conversation where the framing question begins with the term "whither" draws into specific relief the importance of examining how that term is used--that is, its meaning or connotation. One might interpret "whither" interrogatively or relatively, with either interpretation being correct in the syntax of a question, such as "Whither…

In this article the author states from the outset that he considers scholarship to be pivotal in enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. However, what scholarship is could well be contested, so he offers his understanding of scholarship, how it might be developed, and why he thinks it is so crucial to quality practice. In so doing, he…

"Whither scholarship in the work of enhancing the quality of teaching and learning?" The question reminds the author of one Shakespeare asked, "To be or not to be?" She cannot imagine teaching and learning taking place in any classroom without inquiry. Scholarship in the practice of teaching and learning is teaching and learning. She believes that…