How do we recruit strong and diverse teachers who are committed to teaching in complex, underfunded schools? How do we prepare them, both in terms of their skills and mindsets, to feel responsible for reaching and teaching all of the learners in their classrooms? And how do we prepare them to be capable and confident enough that they feel…

There is an overwhelming consensus that sustained opportunities for teachers' professional learning is critical for student success, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nature, substance, and format of K-12 teachers' opportunities for professional learning necessarily shifted. District administrators, focused on maintaining the safest possible…

This study examines the content (i.e., pedagogical skill) and purpose (i.e., praise or suggestion for growth) of university supervisor written feedback in order to improve the quality of observational evaluation provided to elementary and secondary pre-service teachers. Interview data reveal key factors influence the content of supervisor…

Teaching writing requires explicit pedagogical training. Often pre-service English teachers are not only unprepared to teach writing, but they are also unprepared to provide effective writing feedback. Effective writing feedback: (1) prepares young writers to make sound and thorough writing choices; (2) positively impacts learning; and (3)…

Jenkins (2009) asserts that it is a "digital imperative" for educators to develop their students' technology awareness and dexterity, but also their own. How can educators teach what they do not know? To make the digital imperative a reality in university and secondary classrooms, teacher preparation faculty can tap into the Internet and…

Holding teachers accountable for student achievement has become a high priority for many education stakeholders (Cochran-Smith, Piazza, & Power, 2013; Darling-Hammond, 2010; Ginsberg & Kingston, 2014; Good, 2014; Wilson & Youngs, 2005). With new content standards and new statewide assessment systems, however, it can be challenging for…

Effective professional development (PD) can be a powerful tool in school success and teacher satisfaction; however, teachers often report their PD experiences as lackluster or not responsive to their immediate needs (Desimone, 2011; Guskey, 2009; Lutrick & Szabo, 2012). Teachers need professional support in today's educational environment to…

This article briefly examines and explains the theory of social ecology and the political theory of "libertarian municipalism" as developed by the late Murray Bookchin (1921-2006) as a possible comprehensive framework for a secondary curriculum centered upon an anarchistic and ecological ethics. The author first offers an investigation…

This study examines teacher's perspectives of the most beneficial professional development they have participated in over the last three years in the content areas of literacy and mathematics. It also investigates teachers views on how professional development influences student learning. Specifically, this study is grounded in the following…

Classroom discussion is an essential pedagogy for teachers across grade levels and age groups. But what is a discussion, exactly? Are teachers really using discussion when they say they are? Recent research has examined this question and the results are unsettling. Martin Nystrand et al's (2001) massive study of classroom discourse (hereafter…

The design and implementation of questioning, specifically in regards towards a higher level of thinking, is a common practice in many secondary social science classrooms (Bickmore & Parker, 2012). Questioning can help the teacher develop critical thinking concepts, scaffold discussions, and prod students towards an elevated level of cognition…

The complexity of teacher education is fascinating, illusive, and creative. While it is simultaneously difficult to grasp and conceptualize, complexity has real presence and effects, and needs to be managed and simplified for meanings to emerge. In this article the author uses a complexity-based approach to examine the multi-layered acts of…

Although there is no common definition for teacher leadership, the concept is continually advanced as a key component for both the success of schools and the professionalization of teachers (Boles & Troen, 1994; Dozier, 2007; Greenlee, 2007; Lieberman, 1987; Smith, 1999). Teachers need to be given opportunities to leave the isolation of their…

Teacher education necessitates rich, generative experiences for up-and-coming teachers in working classrooms. Written by two English Education faculty members, this article discusses efforts to revise the clinical, field-based components of their courses so to more commonly yield such experiences. Specifically, they aimed to infuse fieldwork with…

In an era of standardized exams to support No Child Left Behind, the influence a teacher candidate has on a P-12 classroom can greatly impact the academic achievement of students. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Educators (NCATE) Blue Ribbon Panel Report (2010) suggested that teacher preparation programs and school districts need…