This study explores how preservice secondary mathematics teachers comprehend and apply advanced mathematical concepts to the content they will teach in K-12 classrooms. Responding to student inquiries and guided by the "Mathematical Education of Teachers II" recommendations, an innovative capstone course was developed and integrated into…

Preparing to become a music teacher educator is a complex process and one component of this process should be learning to model, demonstrate, and teach assessment practices to preservice music educators. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to discover how, and to what extent, music teacher educators (MTEs) are educated about…

We report on the differences in mathematics learning environments in classes taught by certified Elementary Math Specialists (EMSs) (n = 28) and their peers (n = 33) as determined by observations of instruction. We used path analysis to examine how variables such as mathematical knowledge for teaching, beliefs, and background characteristics were…

This study was conducted to compare the impact of technology-centered instructional methods on student performance in literacy to the impact of non-digital instructional practices. Additionally, this research was designed to identify specific program implementation measures used during the implementation of the prevailing instructional method and…

ACT requested assistance from the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment (Center for Assessment) to investigate declines of scores for states administering the ACT to its 11th grade students in 2018. This request emerged from conversations among state leaders, the Center for Assessment, and ACT in trying to understand the…

The purpose of this study was to examine music education majors' perceptions of lesson planning in the university curricula. Specifically, the author was interested in which classes the respondents were taught to construct and use lesson plans, their perceptions about the importance of lesson planning, and how prepared they felt to use lesson…

This paper outlines the experience of a university professor who implemented flipped learning in two sections of college algebra courses for two semesters. It details how the courses were flipped, what technology was used, advantages, challenges, and results. It explains what students do outside of class, what they do inside class, and discusses…

Educational institutions are consistently looking for ways to prepare students for the competitive workforce. Various methods have been utilized to interpret human differences, such as learning preferences and motivation, in order to make the curriculum more valuable. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of new teaching…

This paper examines the impact of diverse clinical field experiences on rural teacher candidates? perceptions of their ability to effectively teach urban, diverse students. The literature framework supporting the study builds on Nieto's description of socially-just pedagogy and responsive approaches to diversity while meeting national education…

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of field experiences in traditional teacher preparation programs completed by first-year teachers in Missouri and how experiences vary by teaching certificate type. This descriptive study is based on data from a survey administered in early 2015 to first-year teachers in Missouri public…

This study contributes knowledge about how a digital badge system integrated into an online, subject-matter-specific, and competency-based professional development (PD) program affected teachers' experiences with and perceptions of the program activities. The report presents findings from a one-year exploratory study of an online PD program, and…

This paper contains results of an empirical study that tested the efficacy and acceptability of two templates designed to fully involve students in proper and fair peer-assessments of their group project work (GPW) by providing concrete evidence of independent progressive documentation of their peers' contributions to the work-process and…

Social responsibility is a concept often used to describe how large corporations, or even small businesses, should "give back" something to the communities that they serve. We feel the same is true when it comes to faculty members. Oftentimes, the greatest expertise in a given subject area in a community is housed within the confines of…

The American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Plus 50 Initiative is a three-year initiative launched in June 2008 and funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. It was created to support a pilot group of two-year institutions to develop or expand campus programs that engage plus 50 learners. The initiative focuses on three types of…

The rapid growth of online learning has mandated the development of faculty evaluation models geared specifically toward the unique demands of the online classroom. With a foundation in the best practices of online learning, adapted to meet the dynamics of a growing online program, the Online Instructor Evaluation System created at Park University…