In this study, I investigate the impact of teachers' perceptions of professional learning communities on student algebraic achievement. Furthermore, I also investigate whether these relationships manifest differently for males compared to females. Research indicates that teacher quality and professionalism are considered the most critical factors…

Inclusive Behavior Instruction features universal or schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports in a multi-tiered system of support. Many schools use School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (SWPBIS; Horner et al., 2009) for this purpose. Andreau, McIntosh, Ross, and Kahn describe thirteen characteristics of…

Despite millions of dollars spent on reform efforts, effective and sustainable improvement still eludes schools. The appropriate development of the professional learning community model, including five key dimensions, provides a structure for educational institutions to bring about sustainable improvements in student achievement. If principals do…

Teacher attrition has been a problem for school systems for more than 30 years. Large numbers of new teachers leave the profession within their first 5 years of service, creating a significant cost associated with hiring and training of replacement teachers. Attrition is problematic for a middle school in the state of Georgia. New teachers at the…

Educational reform efforts are necessary for state and local educational agencies to prepare students to meet the demands of the 21st century and to follow federal and state education laws. In efforts to support low-performing schools, education officials have concentrated educational reform on replicating the characteristics of high-performing…

As trained leaders for whom accountability and a strong work ethic are second nature, Chicagoland veterans are uniquely equipped to meet the demands of today's jobs. That veterans typically possess the skills and character needed to excel in the civilian workplace makes reports on the state of veteran unemployment more troubling. Through the…

Teacher professional learning is of increasing interest as one way to support the increasingly complex skills students need to succeed in the 21st century. However, many teacher professional development initiatives appear ineffective in supporting changes in teacher practices and student learning. To identify the features of effective professional…

Teacher professional learning is of increasing interest as one way to support the increasingly complex skills students need to learn in preparation for further education and work in the 21st century. Sophisticated forms of teaching are needed to develop student competencies such as deep mastery of challenging content, critical thinking, complex…

There is a growing recognition among researchers and practitioners alike that student-athletes are an "at risk" group of students in higher education today. More specifically, research has identified several specific negative conditions that impact student-athletes and threaten their success in college. Learning communities, on the other…

In this autoethnographic study, the authors/subjects examined retrospective reflections (narratives) on their experiences within an ePortfolio community of practice to help them understand the conditions that led to transformations in their teaching. The theoretical framework of situated learning and cognitive mediation was used to explore this…

The world is becoming increasingly one multicultural Global village and business and education transnational, which implies that students will need to recognize, accept, and adjust to cultural differences in communications to succeed in their studies as well as in their future careers. This presentation is fundamentally about a niftier way of…

This article poses a model for developing a book club to promote praxis. This model is built upon a basic four step framework for developing book clubs and includes specific recommendations to focus the book club on reflection of theory and how to incorporate it into practice. This model will be used to start a book club examining Continuous…

As a new teacher, what will you do when you realize there is an aspect of your practice that you want to improve? Will you make a plea to your administration to attend an expensive workshop? Will you try to cram a class into your already jam-packed schedule? You may even try to hide your weakness and hope nobody notices. Is there another option to…

This article represents an attempt to more fully understand the interactions of individuals in a specific community of practice on the World Wide Web. It attempts to answer questions about whether norms of participation and learning developed over time have been established in this virtual community of practice. It also explores how the perceived…

The integrated curriculum has been and still remains one of the major directions of interest in contemporary education. The present study aims at analyzing the opinion of a sample of 108 teachers, which are part of an eTwinning community regarding: a) their availability to participate in eTwinning projects; b) the ways of capitalizing the results…