In a traditional lecturing environment, students possess limited agency in accepting or rejecting information provided by teachers. A higher level of student agency involves opportunities and actively identifying uncertainties and collaborating with peers to deepen understanding within the classroom community. Teachers play a crucial role in…

This review examines which types of instruction in writing-to-learn lead to effects on insight and topic knowledge in different disciplines, in grades 5-12 and in higher education. Forty-three empirical studies have been selected to answer this question. Four types of instruction are distinguished. Three of them are based on hypotheses proposed by…

Racism remains endemic and pervasive throughout the United States, its institutions, structures, and systems. And yet, efforts to build racial literacy have been widely absent in K-12 educational institutions. Research exploring the racial pedagogical decision making of teachers is essential for disrupting systemic educational inequalities brought…

Despite the contemporary emphasis on evidence-based practices (EBPs) in autism education, the research-to-practice gap persists. Understanding how newly trained teachers' experiences, knowledge, and beliefs about EBPs influence their instructional decisions is vital to increasing EBP implementation among the next generation of special educators.…

At the core of the intractability of racism is the persistent cultivation of our collective ignorance of it. This book argues that this cultivated ignorance compels us to support a status quo that we abhor. We are stuck because we cannot imagine a world beyond racism. We are also stuck because engaging with issues of racism with others usually…

Purpose: Asset-based pedagogy (ABP) values what students bring to the classroom and is responsive to their individual needs. Yet teachers, particularly beginners, fail to integrate these types of strategies throughout K-12 classrooms. It is imperative to explore to what extent beginning teachers understand ABP as well as the variation within who…

Simplified, reductionist approaches to curriculum design and delivery are pervasive in science education. In ecological curricula--particularly in, but not limited to K-12--biomes, ecosystems, habitats, and other units of study are simplified and presented as static, easily identified and described entities. Characteristics, components, and…

Teachers' training in and knowledge of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)--specific evidence-based practices (EBPs) vary widely. While researchers continue to develop and disseminate evidence-based interventions, the research-to-practice gap between these interventions and implementation within school settings remains an ongoing challenge. This study…

Teacher educator knowledge in curriculum development is situated in a space that is tacit and embodied. It is important to recognize that within the realm of teacher education (as opposed to K-12 classrooms), this knowledge is complex and draws upon nuanced personal practical expertise. When research is situated in self-study, it enables teacher…

Research demonstrates a clear link between implementing proactive classroom management practices and positive student outcomes. Thus, it is important to examine how teachers are prepared to enact such practices. In this qualitative study, the authors draw on interviews with 35 special education faculty members at 32 institutions of higher…

Reform efforts in K-12 science education have been gaining pace ever since the introduction of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS). The new vision calls for reconsidering teacher preparation programs to prepare future teachers who are confident and competent in delivering NGSS-based instruction. This study investigated the…

This paper presents a systematic literature review of professional development programs in computational thinking (CT). CT has emerged as an essential set of skills that everyone should develop to participate in a global society. However, there were no pre-service or in-service teacher programs to integrate CT into the K-12 classrooms until very…

Historically, state-regulated compulsory schooling has been a staging ground for the subjection of learners into categories of differential worth: race, gender, intellectual ability, class, and beyond. Yet, what might it look like to consider learning without subjection and subjugation? Here, Keenan draws from trans studies to consider how trans…

This article addresses two current debates that have generated increasing interest in a number of countries but have rarely been considered together: the debate on religious and interreligious literacy and the debate on the assessment of the outcomes of Religious Education (RE). Against this background, both debates are reviewed and critically…

Effective and data-driven math instruction can maximize student learning and achievement. This Spotlight will help analyze best practices for developing math word problems; explore how showing students both the correct and incorrect solutions can improve their understanding; investigate math 'fact fluency' and strategies for strengthening it;…