The COVID-19 pandemic has affected deep reflection in higher education classrooms: how do we attract and retain students to (temporary but nevertheless increasing) online learning experiences, how do we keep them at our universities and colleges, and how do we give students a learning experience from which they will remember meaningful…

This manuscript details efforts to redesign a graduate literacy program guided by two, full-time faculty members to better meet candidates' needs in an online learning environment supported with relevant and current curricula. Through professional literature, intentional curriculum, and authentic field experiences, program coursework is closely…

Rural community colleges are uniquely situated to physically and subtly embed educational imprints into the everyday lives of local people. This reflective article explores how the everyday characteristics of American college towns offer a potential road map for rural community colleges to structure educational imprints into the lifeblood of local…

The on-going social and political climate, with polarizing stances on everything from issues of social justice to mandates for mask-wearing and vaccination, brings non-normative stressors into the lived experiences of students, families, and educators everywhere. These stressors are often magnified in rural communities and schools. Yet, in spite…

Personalized learning is designed to address the disengagement of today's students and to be proactive in closing the growing achievement gaps occurring in far too many schools. The goal of personalized learning is to engage students in the process, building on their interests, aptitudes, and strengths, thus creating intrinsic motivation for…

This "Educational Considerations" issue, with its theme of "Teaching and Learning in a Global Community," highlights education in an ever increasingly connected world--and how we get our students prepared to not only survive, but thrive in such an expanding environment. As we considered this topic, one of the individuals who…

There are over 32 million undocumented immigrants in the United States and of this population, over 1.5 million are children (Palmer & Davidson, 2011). These children grow up in the US, achieve primary and secondary education, and when they are ready to pursue postsecondary education, it becomes harder for them to achieve. In this paper,…

The effect poverty has on a child's education is tragic. Without the necessary life-sustaining resources, many of our nation's children struggle to concentrate on anything other than their immediate dire circumstances. This article tells the story of how one migrant farm worker overcame her struggles living in abject poverty to become a first…

The 1983 publication of "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform" (National Commission of Excellence in Education) "initiated the longest sustained period of attention to public education in the nation's history and ignited a new wave of interest in teacher preparation" (NRC, Committee on the Study of Teacher…

Considering how long societies have been educating their youth, the history of teacher education is relatively brief. From the first teacher education innovation in the 17th century through those of the late 20th century--de la Salle, the American normal school, the flood of student teachers into public schools after World War II, the student…

The purpose of this article is to share the history of one Professional Development School (PDS) partnership in an effort to help others reflect, set visions, and move forward into a new educational future. The emergence, development, and continuation of this partnership was dependent upon finding ways to create a growth-oriented environment,…

In the fall of 2011, an undergraduate student who is also a military spouse and mother of school-aged children, shared with the College of Education (COE) at Kansas State University faculty her concerns about the necessity of intentional preparation of teachers and counselors regarding the unique needs of military-connected children. From that…

For a quarter century, Kansas State University's College of Education has supported a Professional Development School (PDS) model involving professional collaboration with selected public school systems across Kansas. In that time, this relationship has proved to be an instrumental vehicle for educational change. The state of Kansas' adoption and…

Generalizing about school district-teacher education program relationships across the long history and broad landscape of teacher preparation in America can prove challenging. However, if partnerships imply stable, long-term, mutually beneficial arrangements characterized by shared decision-making and resources, even a relatively cursory scan…

This article provides a history of the Professional Development School (PDS) movement in Kansas, as well as the major influences and challenges ahead as partnerships continue to grow and adapt. Mercer and Myers highlight the Kansas State Department of Education's (KSDE's) engagement in dialogue about the professional learning continuum of licensed…