The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to examine the elementary education preparation programs of three universities, identifying essential components and features of each program, as well as across programs. As accountability and standards call for teacher preparation to take action and develop stronger programs, this study…

There are three self-contained essays in this dissertation. In the first essay (Chapter 2 of the dissertation) I estimate various achievement models for math and reading using the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class (ECLS-K) dataset. An indicator for gifted program participation captures the impact of…