Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Preparing Teachers To Read The Data: Strengthening Data Literacy For Early Literacy Decision-Making, Tevia Q. Strand

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Teachers are increasingly expected to use literacy screening and benchmark data to guide instruction, identify student needs, and participate in multi-tiered systems of support. However, pre-service and early-career teachers may enter the profession without sufficient preparation to interpret assessment data or connect benchmark patterns to instructional action. This white paper examines the gap between teacher preparation and the realities of K-12 data use, with particular attention to early literacy decision-making. Drawing from Bradbury’s discussion of teacher preparation and the changing realities of education, this paper argues that data literacy is an essential part of preparing teachers for equitable classroom practice. …

Preparing Teachers Where Teaching Happens: Designing Embedded Assignments In A School-University Partnership, Michael Dicicco, Shawn A. Faulkner

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

School-University partnerships (SUP) allow more opportunities for teacher candidates to bridge theory and practice. Working together teacher candidates gain valuable experience applying concepts in their classes with classroom teacher mentors. However, these partnerships can be complex and highly context dependent. Developing university course assignments for a SUP can be difficult. This article highlights a set of intentionally designed assignments the authors have developed over the last 8 years within an SUP. The goal is provide practical examples for those who are creating their own SUP.

How Utep Built A Teacher Residency At Scale, Erika L. Mein

Policy Briefs

This program brief outlines the core design components of the Miner Teacher Residency, the premier year-long preparation experience for all education majors and post-baccalaureate teacher candidates in the College of Education at the University of Texas at El Paso.  This brief serves as a companion document to “UTEP’s Miner Teacher Residents Boost Student Learning, Serve High-Need Schools, and Stay in Texas Classrooms,” which presents evidence of the positive impact of the residency on student learning outcomes in Texas classrooms.

Teacher Agency In The Classroom, Joy Gibson, Lizeth Sandoval

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Teacher agency is an important factor in student success; it is the ability to intentionally lead classrooms to support student learning outcomes, environments, and school culture. However, teacher agency remains underexamined as a construct for neurodiverse students in K-12 classrooms. This literature review argues that teacher agency is an essential component of genuine inclusivity for neurodiverse students and supports asset-based instruction. Grounded in social-cultural theory, this literature review examines five interconnected areas: theoretical foundation for teacher agency, neurodiversity as an asset-based approach, instructional strategies, teacher development, and the role of collaboration and family engagement. Findings suggest that instructional barriers, including …

Nature As The Foundation: A Shift In Pedagogy, Mary Moroney-Fernandez

The Cicadian

Somewhere in the United States right now, a child is sitting beneath fluorescent lights while the world outside continues without her. This paper argues that her confinement is not accidental, but rather theoretical. Examining the divergent frameworks of Friedrich Fröbel and Jean Piaget, it traces how American public schooling absorbed a vision of learning organized around cognitive individualism while displacing Fröbel's relational vision of child and nature. Drawing on reflection, historical analysis, and research, this paper contends that lasting reform requires confronting the foundational assumptions that built the classroom in the first place.

Exploring “Isms” In Teacher Preparation: What Are The Views Of Teacher Candidates?, Michelle A. Gremp

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Teacher preparation programs are charged with preparing educators who understand biases and work toward fostering inclusivity in their classrooms. This study explores the knowledge and perceptions of teacher candidates in an education of the deaf and hard of hearing program related to ableism, audism, and inclusivity. and suggest next steps for developing competencies in these areas. Teacher candidates indicated varying levels of familiarity, views of impact, and the ability to provide accurate definitions of these terms, indicating the need for explicit and scaffolded exposure to the ideas of ableism, audism, and inclusivity across multiple courses within teacher preparation programs.

When How We Teach Is What We Teach: Teacher Educators As Instructional Models For Novice Teachers, William Waychunas

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Teacher education programs have struggled to overcome the apprenticeship of observation, or the tendency for preservice teachers (PSTs) to replicate the traditional or problematic forms of teaching from their K–12 experience. However, the field tends to assume that PSTs draw only on instructional models from K–12, overlooking higher-education instructors such as professors, other faculty, and teacher educators as sources of pedagogical inspiration and guidance. This study uses data from a longitudinal investigation tracing the development of nine secondary social studies teachers to focus on how the modeling and demonstration of practice within coursework by teacher educators shaped PSTs’ understanding, impressions, …

Teacher Preparation: A Foundation For Rural School Success, Sara L. Hartman

The Rural Educator

First appearing in “Why Rural Matters 2025: People, Place, and Possibility,” this article examines the policy landscape shaping teacher preparation for rural schools. Drawing on troubling policies being implemented across the United States, it identifies key trends that are contributing to teacher shortages and reduced teacher quality. The analysis highlights how these trends are experienced differently depending on the rural context and emphasizes the importance of innovative, place-based approaches. The article explores the consequences of policy decisions that do not account for rural realities and advocates for investments in strong, research-based teacher preparation programs. It cautions that the ongoing questioning …

Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge, Skills, And Perceptions Related To Data-Based Decision Making In Elementary Reading Instruction, Erin K. Washburn, Samantha A. Gesel, Miranda S. Fitzgerald, Corinne R. Kingsbery

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Teachers’ knowledge of and ability to use reading assessments and assessment data to inform instruction has long been recognized as a core teaching competency. Data-based decision making (DBDM) is a process by which educators examine assessment data to identify student strengths and needs and apply those findings to their practice. DBDM has been linked to student achievement/engagement and positive teacher self-efficacy. However, DBDM, specifically in reading, is a complex process for teachers. Preservice teacher preparation has been deemed a space for the introduction of DBDM in reading. However, few studies have explored how targeted instruction in reading-related DBDM may impact …

A Phenomenologically Informed Study Of Black Male Preservice Teachers’ Lived Experiences: Professional Socialization, Social Representation, And The Redesign Of Teacher Education For Equity, William A. Anders

Student Theses

This qualitative research explores the experiences of Black male preservice teachers in New York City’s teacher education programs. To examine the underrepresentation of Black male preservice teachers, the research employs Critical University Studies and Critical Race Theory to investigate the institutional barriers they face. Using semi-structured interviews with seven participants and reflexive thematic analysis, the findings revealed six paramount themes: Pathways in Teaching, Representation and Identity, Experiences in Teacher Education, Racial Bias and Institutional Challenges, the Role of Mentorship and Support Networks, and Teaching Philosophy.

Participants described the challenges that Black male preservice teachers face, including isolation, economic hardships, unsuitable …

Massteach: A Statewide Strategy To Increase And Broaden Stem Teacher Participation, Arne K. Christensen, Jennifer Hanselman, Allison S. Little

Staff & Administration

The global teacher shortage is a persistent challenge that has become more acute since the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in STEM subject areas. Using ten years of statewide higher education enrollment data, the MassTeach program was developed as a regional strategy, coordinating efforts by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and faculty across the community college (2-year) and state university (4-year) systems, to increase participation in the STEM teacher workforce. Recognizing that enrollment at community colleges is a socioeconomic reflection of their surrounding communities, which are underrepresented in the STEM education pipeline, MassTeach coordinated supports to facilitate student transfer from 2- …

Teaching For Autonomy: Helping Young Students Define, Create, And Fight For A Better World, Riley Mcgowan

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

I define an Autonomous Student as a learner detached from the capitalist mindset, who learns not just to reproduce the working world but to better themselves and the future. A learner who is independent, flexible, civically engaged, connected with their community, and has their own idea of success that is not tied to the school or the economy. A learner who can uncover injustice and knows how to fight back. As it is currently set up, the education system in the US does not work toward creating autonomous students. Instead, the focus is on reproducing society as it is and …

Remixing The Integrative Model Of Pedagogy Through Varied Hip-Hop Contexts, Colleen A. Wilkinson, Caitlin Riegel, Elizabeth Falzone

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

Embedding literature which promotes positive views of disabilities into teacher preparation programs is not an uncommon practice (Hansen et al., 2023; Yu & Meyer, 2024). However, multimedia, such as music and television, allow a more inclusive approach to disability studies. Hip-Hop music serves to represent the underrepresented in society and the overrepresented in disability categories. This paper describes how to incorporate three multimedia projects utilizing an Integrative Model of Pedagogy and Hip-Hop into teacher preparation programs for more inclusive, strategic and reflective teacher candidates. Within each project the instructor embeds specific High-Leverage Practices for students with disabilities and culturally responsive …

From The Margins To The Center: The Transformative Promise Of Philosophy For Children, Maughn Rollins Gregory, Megan Jane Laverty, Joe Oyler

Department of Educational Foundations Scholarship and Creative Works

What began as an innovative idea in the late 1960s—the recognition that even very young children are philosophically disposed—is no longer considered novel. While philosophy for children has transitioned from a fledgling initiative to a worldwide movement, it remains on the margins of education. In this article, we look back at key initiatives that have advanced its growth before looking ahead to what can move philosophy for children to the center of education. We consider the introduction and development of materials that invite children into philosophical spaces, the community of philosophical inquiry as a model of teachers' and children's philosophical …

Leveraging Student Data To Assess, Inform, And Develop Teachers Capacities, Nathan D. Koerber, Kenneth J. Fasching-Varner

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This quantitative study analyzed 47 survey responses to gauge in-service, pre-licensed teacher, and paraprofessional perceptions of cultural competency. Participants responded to the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society’s Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Checklist (Alpha = 0.7) to explore their awareness, knowledge, and skills in cultural competency. Moreover, through the application of Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) as a theoretical framework, this study highlighted how these perceptions related to culturally responsive teaching and provided several implications for their future preparation to further develop their cultural competency through the tenets of CRT. The analysis identified participant unfamiliarity with privilege and its impact, as well as …

Revolutionizing Teacher Preparation Through Gender- Responsive Pedagogy In Tanzania’S Teacher Education System, Jane Rarieya, Mary Oluga, Nyagwegwe Wango

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

This study investigates the revolutionization of teacher preparation throughthe integration of Gender Pedagogy within a Teacher Training College inTanzania. Recognizing the urgent need for teachers equipped with gender-responsive skills, this initiative seeks to establish effective teaching methods,enhance student motivation, and cultivate gender-sensitive educationalleadership. The core objective is to understand how this pedagogical shiftcan create a community of educators capable of significantly improvinglearning outcomes across diverse educational contexts. Employing aqualitative research design, this study explored the insights and experiencesof participants regarding the implementation of the revolutionized teachereducation program. Findings indicate the practical application of Gender,Diversity, and Inclusion Pedagogy by student teachers, …

Examining The Relationship Between Cultural Competency And Teacher Preparation For Ethnic Studies: The Role Of Unconscious Bias, La Taschya Renee Harris

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between cultural competency and teacher preparedness for Ethnic Studies, and seeks to understand whether unconscious bias influences that relationship. California’s Assembly Bill 101 mandates that all high school seniors take Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement. Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest school district in California, the second largest in the U.S., and the fifth most segregated school district in the nation. With 44% of White high school teachers in Los Angeles Unified School District situated in the north region and a significantly less presence throughout the other three regions, the question of …

It Shouldn’T Be About Where They Sit, But About Where They Can Succeed: A Pilot Study About Teachers’ Experiences With Lre In A Rural Middle School, Angela D. Norris, Silvia Correa-Torres, Heather Tellier

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

One of the key principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) is to ensure that students with disabilities receive quality education with their non-disabled peers in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Teachers are pivotal in fostering inclusive classrooms, yet rural schools face challenges in resource allocation, professional development, and recruitment and retention of qualified teachers and other personnel, making implementing inclusion and the LRE principle difficult. Research indicates rural educators feel ill-prepared to implement inclusive practices due to a lack of knowledge, limited resources, and specialized skills to support students who have disabilities. The purpose of this …

Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions Of Preparedness: Collaboration With Diverse Families Of Children With Disabilities, Guofeng Shen, Sandy Bowen

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

Collaboration between educators and families is a critical issue in the field of education. This topic becomes even more salient when working with culturally, linguistically, or economically diverse families of children with disabilities. Both research and practice have shown that many educators enter the profession without adequate preparation for this aspect of their role. This study examined pre-service teachers' attitudes, comfort level and perceived preparedness to collaborate with diverse families of children with disabilities while completing their university teacher preparation programs. A total of 159 pre-service teachers representing 40 institutions completed an online survey addressing this topic. Results indicated a) …

Preparing The Next Generation Of Health Education Teachers For The Ethical Use Of Ai, Melissa J. Haithcox-Dennis, Reeshemah Johnson

Journal of Research Initiatives

This article examines how health education teacher preparation programs can prepare future educators to use artificial intelligence (AI) in responsible and effective ways. It begins with a brief overview of the use of AI in education, considering the growing impact of generative AI technologies on teaching and learning. The article outlines international and national standards that govern the application of AI in education, addressing key ethical concerns, including the dissemination of inaccurate health information, violations of student privacy, bias, and inequitable access to AI tools. The article emphasizes the importance of ethical decision-making and professional responsibility when integrating AI into …

Designing Writers: A Self-Regulated Approach To Multimodal Composition In Teacher Preparation And Early Grades, Qi Si, Tracey S. Hodges, Vahid Mousavi

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Reading and writing in the 21st century have evolved from traditional text-based formats to multimodal literacy, integrating linguistic, visual, auditory, and spatial modes to enhance communication and comprehension. While multimodal reading has been widely studied, multimodal writing remains underexplored, despite its growing importance in K–12 education across disciplines. Multimodal composing demands advanced self-regulation as students navigate multiple digital tools and platforms. Self-regulated learning strategies, particularly the self-regulated strategy developmental model, offer a promising approach to support students in planning, monitoring, and revising multimodal compositions. However, a comprehensive framework linking self-regulation and multimodal composition is lacking. This article addresses this gap …

Tips For Inclusive Postsecondary Education Programs On College Campuses: Peer Mentors’ Perspectives On Access And Inclusion, Laura N. Sarchet, Kristen Love, Martha Mock

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

As inclusive postsecondary education programs have grown and improved towards more campus access for college students labeled with an intellectual disability, peer mentoring is a common model for such programs. Peer mentors from one private institution were asked to describe their experiences and perspectives of campus inclusion after participating in a training program designed to increase their understanding of disability within a social justice lens. Mentors shared the personal and professional benefits of mentoring, for both themselves and for students labeled with an intellectual disability, and noted recommendations for how programs can increase access to college in order to improve …

Gaining Insights Into Community Engagement Efforts: Learning From Preservice Stem Educators, Amy G. Maples, Lynn L. Hodge, Nick Kim

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study seeks to extend research in the field by exploring literature examining preservice teachers’ perceptions of community engagement efforts. We then report findings from a thematic analysis of a survey conducted with teacher candidates at a university in the southeastern U.S. who took part in school- and community-based STEM events, and provide implications and suggestions for utilizing community engagement opportunities as a means of enriching preservice teachers’ understandings of local school and community contexts.

Transforming Future Classrooms: Exploring Mainstream Candidates’ Self-Efficacy, Amanda Nelms

Journal of English Learner Education

The nationwide shortage of teachers is having a profound impact on schools across the country. In addition, many teacher candidates are entering the profession without adequate preparation to effectively work with MLs, potentially exacerbating challenges faced by this student population. One innovative approach to teacher preparation is the implementation of Grow Your Own (GYO) programs. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on GYO programs by focusing on the self-efficacy of secondary mainstream teacher candidates in teaching MLs. This mixed-methods study collected data throughout a course centered on research-based instructional practices for MLs. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test …

Teaching Teachers To Stand Up: Fostering Moral Reasoning And Courage Through Neo-Abolitionist Pedagogies In Multicultural Education, Aaron A. Baker, Liz Potter-Nelson

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

In today’s increasingly polarized educational landscape, debates over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have reached a critical juncture. Anti-DEI policies and legislation are not only reshaping educational policy but are also producing tangible adverse effects on teacher behavior—often creating chilling effects that undermine authentic multicultural education. In light of these challenges, this article contends that teacher preparation programs must fundamentally reorient their curricula to cultivate robust moral reasoning and moral courage among preservice teachers. By integrating theoretical frameworks such as Kohlberg’s theory of moral development and Rest’s Four-Component Model with the transformative principles of neo-abolitionist teaching, we propose a comprehensive …

Benefits Of Informal Practical Experiences As A Central Teaching Method In A Literature Of Adolescents Course, Jillian Harpster

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio includes the course context and organizational format of a junior-level required course for pre-service secondary English teachers. Formatting and context information include teaching methods and course materials. As a central teaching method of the course, students are required to attend a practicum that is additional to their observational practicum (sophomore year) and their clinical practicum (senior year). In this way, the praxis of the coursework and the informal practicum serve as an intentional moment of praxis, while also scaffolding students towards their senior year practicum and beyond (student teaching, early career teaching). Ultimately, the argument of the portfolio …

Assessing The Professional Development Needs Of Traditionally And Alternatively Certified Career And Technical Education Teachers In Virginia, Natalie Ferand, Bradley Bowen, D. Brett Milliken

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The Virginia Department of Education allows for various paths to teacher licensure. Teachers may graduate from an approved teacher preparation program or obtain a teaching license through alternative pathways. This study identified the professional development needs of traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers in Virginia by administering a statewide survey. The participants were divided into three groups: alternatively certified CTE teachers (Group 1), traditionally certified teachers in a non-CTE area and then received a CTE endorsement (Group 2), and traditionally certified teachers in CTE (Group 3). By comparing how teachers from each of these certification pathways reported their level of …

Building Anti-Racist Teacher Education, Kel Nemetz

Masters Projects

Preschool through twelfth grade education in the United States is ever evolving and has always been influenced by socio-political context. Throughout history, the goals, methods, and values of public education have shifted depending on political ideologies and influence. This thesis acknowledges the major significance and impact decisions like these can make on our students in PK-12 schools and on the educators who teach them, while centering the importance of anti-racism as a foundational goal. Despite the anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion political campaign lead by Trump’s second administration to try to dismantle all DEI efforts in PK-12 schools and beyond, this …

Deconstructing Ideological Habits: An Analysis Of An Antiracist Place-Based Education Course, Terry John Stockton

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

White teachers enter culturally and racially diverse urban classrooms ill-prepared to teach. The resulting cultural mismatch contributes to educational disparities, including academic gaps and punitive imparities. Teacher education programs' attempts to address the gaps intend to immunize young teachers to the effects of implicit bias. However, the efforts do little to help teachers recognize how their implicit bias, in the form of ideological habits, created the need for a culturally responsive curriculum in the first place.

As part of a larger project, this study deconstructed three reflective essays assigned during an introductory place-based education course. The post-structural analysis used a …

The Effect Of An Immersive Inclusive Experience On Preservice Music Educators’ Perspectives About Inclusive Education, Emily M. Chapman

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This mixed methods study explored the effects of an immersive and inclusive choir experience on music education students' attitudes and self-efficacy regarding inclusive education practices. The participants, 35 junior- and senior-level music education majors from a large Midwestern public university, were divided into two groups: 18 seniors enrolled in a required “Music and Special Education” course and 17 juniors who were enrolled in the semester immediately preceding this required course. Participants’ beliefs, feelings, and teaching intentions were collected using a modified version of the Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) Mahat (2008). Following the immersive experience, preservice educators reflected …