The prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among school aged children in the US has increased exponentially, compared to estimates from the year 2000. Increased numbers of elementary students with ASD are spending 80% or more of the school day in general education settings, which may pose challenges for both veteran and beginning…

This dissertation research explores the pedagogical approaches of exemplary content area teachers (ECATs) working with Latina students in a public high school context. Research has shown that educators are the leading agents in preparing immigrant youth, and that teacher support and prejudice directly affect students' academic outcomes. This…

This case study of a teacher of Arabic-speaking heritage language learners (HLL) reported the experiences and pedagogical practices of a teacher to better understand the reasons for her success in preparing young HLL. The teacher's experiences informed findings regarding ways to improve HL teaching for Arabic-speaking students. This research study…

Public schools in the United States are becoming increasingly diverse with students from differing racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds bringing to the classrooms varied expectations, experiences, and ways of knowing (Woodward, 2018). While the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2018) projects that the…

Classroom teachers struggle to meet the needs of all students as the United States population continues to become more diverse. While preservice teacher training programs strive to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to complete this task effectively, opportunity gaps between minority students and their peers continue to grow. Through…

Quality Professional Development (PD) interventions are important to improve teaching in schools (Desimone, 2009) and students' achievement (Wayne, Yoon, Zhu, Cronen, & Garet, 2008). Recent research has been focusing on learning using a situative perspective (Greeno, 2006). Within this body of research, this study analyzed elementary school…

This study was designed to explore high-quality teacher characteristics of Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers. It is generally acknowledged that promoting teacher quality is a key element in improving secondary education in the United States. While recent research has documented the importance of quality teaching in promoting student…

This mixed method study investigated the impact of various levels of professional development (PD) on middle school educators' knowledge of second language acquisition (SLA) and the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs). This study also investigated participants' reasons for choosing their selected level of participation and their feelings…

In 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Education enacted Chapter 49-2 which divided the certified grade spans of Elementary Teachers. This dissertation addresses the question of how the change of PA Teacher Certifications, known as Chapter 49-2, has affected the selecting, interviewing, and hiring process for administrators. A problem was…

In the last three decades, there has been a significant growth in the number of undergraduate students taking introductory statistics. As a result, there is a need by universities and community colleges to find well-qualified instructors and graduate teaching assistants to teach the growing number of statistics courses. Unfortunately, research has…

The complexity of physical education instruction provides unique challenges for the physical education teacher. In this research, I sought to describe and examine the types of knowledge that physical education teachers use to inform their instructional practices. I also explored the relation between teaching experience and components of content…

The state of Nebraska recently adopted and implemented a set of Science standards that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards which include engineering practices such as engineering design and the use of technology. Curriculum administrators throughout the state are responsible for the implementation of these standards including…

Social and emotional learning is a topic currently and increasingly scrutinized in our schools. Typically, the social and emotional skills of students are examined to assess proficiency in this area. Extensive study of social and emotional skills of teachers is rarely conducted. This study addresses the current knowledge of teachers' social and…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand and describe the sources of Nicaraguan EFL teacher educators' knowledge base, the types of knowledge and skills that constructed their knowledge base, and the relationship of this knowledge base and classroom practices in a teacher education program at a Nicaraguan…

Training writing center tutors to work collaboratively with students on their writing is a complex and challenging process. This practitioner action research uses critical discourse analysis (Gee, 2014a) to interrogate tutors' understandings of their work, as expressed in their written reflections on video-recorded tutoring sessions, to facilitate…