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 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…

In the current study, the authors qualitatively investigate, through the theoretical perspective of cognitive dissonance, the relationship between teacher beliefs and their associated teacher practices at two public elementary schools with diverse student populations. They argue that while teachers may hold theoretical beliefs about culturally…

As with many previous K-12 educational reform efforts, expectations that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2010) will assist students in learning so that they can prepare for college and the workforce are very high (American College Testing, 2012). Briefly, the CCSS "are designed…

"These families must be so sad. I just wonder what they do and if they have any type of normal life." "I am not sure how I will work with parents. I think they probably look to the school for a lot of help." These quotes were taken from preservice teachers' papers early in their teacher education program, in which they were asked to describe what…

Today, effective and creative teacher designed instruction is being replaced by scripted reading programs. These programs are changing the role of the teacher in the classroom from professionals to mere transmitters of knowledge. The idea that the role of the teacher had changed became evident while conducting a study with elementary school…