Each year, in middle and high school classrooms, secondary science teachers introduce their students to the periodic table of elements (herein the periodic table). According to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013), one of the performance expectations states that high school students should be able to, "Use the…

District-led Professional Development (DLPD) holds great promise for cost-effective and sustained PD for K-12 faculty but is often enacted as whole-group, one-shot meetings on topics (e.g., 21st-century learning) non-specific to teachers' grade levels and content areas. Alternatively, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) provide on-site and…

In recent years, higher education enrollment has become increasingly diverse, particularly in online programs. Accordingly, institutions are increasingly aware of the importance of retaining these students and supporting them through successful degree/program completion. While there has been substantial declaration of the need for promoting…

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in the Spring of 2020, North Carolina (NC) public schools moved to distance education in which all students attended classes on video conferencing programs. During this time, NC State University faculty offered virtual guest talks to NC K-12 students. Eighty-eight faculty from three NC State colleges…

Professional Growth Plans (PGPs), a model of professional development for educators, were completed in the context of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) as part of a grant from a state Professional Educator Standards Board. Participants were in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and represented different educator roles in two urban…

Traditional approaches to professional development for inclusive education narrowly frame inclusive education as a special education reform. Such approaches emphasize technical practices rather than surfacing and disrupting harmful ideologies that normalize the segregation of students with disabilities. Alternatively, there is potential for a…

Teacher grit and teacher leadership are two qualities that are touted to improve teacher performance (Duckworth, Quinn & Seligman, 2009; Smylie, Lazarus & Brownlee-Conyers, 1996). However, few empirical studies have investigated the direct relationship between teacher grit and leadership and their direct effects on student achievement. In…

This paper seeks to explore how rural Latinx students' STEM identity development can be fostered by utilizing their cultural capital. By both a community cultural wealth and science identity model, this paper reviews previous literature to conceptualize how and why rural Latinx youth are continuously underrepresented within STEM education and…

Using a perspective analysis of curriculum design, we advance the conversation on ways underrepresented and underserved communities can rethink educational design. From an original educational model, we interrupt traditional pedagogy to grow effective community leaders. In this paper, we blend Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and…

Many educators in the United States are advocates for the education profession; however, little is known about K-12 perceptions of advocacy. This article systematically scoped the literature on the types of articles that have been written on educator advocacy that include information on teacher perceptions and attitudes. A systematic scoping…

Culturally responsive instruction scholarship often presents a binary standard that teachers either satisfy or do not, a determination largely based on perceptions of observed practice. Yet, conclusions about teachers' cultural responsiveness are dubious when researchers do not account for teachers' intent. Conceptualizing cultural responsiveness…

The COVID-19 global pandemic created new challenges for teachers and school systems as teachers were forced to rapidly transition to remote learning using new digital tools and resources. Teaching elementary science in "normal times" is challenging due to issues involving teacher preparation, limited access to materials and lack of…

This study explores the influence of an afterschool program involving high needs elementary-aged students at community-based sites and elementary preservice teachers (EPSTs) enrolled in a final sequence of methods courses at a local university. Data collection involved surveys, interviews, and reflections with EPSTs and interviews with…

This study investigates the impact of instructional methods based on a one-day informal science field experience comparing a teacher-centered methodology versus a student-centered (inquiry-based) methodology. The 5E learning cycle was selected as the framework for implementing the inquiry-based learning for the treatment groups as it provides the…

Numerous STEM agencies and advocacy groups posit that Outside of (regular) School Time (OST) STEM opportunities spur middle school students' learning, especially in fostering students' interests in and motivations for STEM. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sources of students' interest in and motivation for STEM while participating…