In a search to discover effective means of reversing the marginalization in the field of physical education (PE), researchers have been studying exceptional PE programs that have not only broken down the growth-impeding barriers formed by changes in education, but have also successfully and consistently prevented new program barriers from developing. One such PE program, located in the southwestern United States, has been identified in former studies as having achieved and sustained Systemic Success in Physical Education (SSPE) for over four decades. Embedded in the SSPE model that this district uses to maintain dynamic growth and program sustainability are advocacy practices required of the PE practitioners for the purpose of obtaining and upholding the necessary support needed for program stability. The purpose of this qualitative follow-up study was to examine three things: (a) parent perceptions of this district-wide elementary PE program, (b) the advocacy strategies used by the physical education practitioners and (c) which factors parents believe most shape their perception of the program. Twenty parents from five different school that bridge the demographic make-up of the district were interviewed along with four teachers in the district, the PE district coordinator, and a Physical Education Teaching Education (PETE) professor from the partnering university for the purpose of triangulation to avoid researcher bias. The Inductive Content Analysis was used to create themes and subthemes until saturation. The results of this study provide valuable insight into the benefits of regular program advocacy and strategies which may be most beneficial in acquiring the support needed to construct and retain a fruitful and resilient program. The following six themes emerged from the data that represent the top factors that parents reported influence their perceptions of the PE program: (a) student enjoyment, (b) teacher passion, (c) teacher involvement and presence outside of the PE class, (d) teacher-to-parent communication, (e) program transparency, (f) and a well-structured and organized program. Researchers found the following key implications as the most important and beneficial take-aways from this study. Building strong relationships with parents helps parents better appreciate the intentions of the teacher and her goals for their children. The process of building effective relationships includes developing ample open channels of communication. Through these channels, teachers will strengthen parent connections by providing plenty of information regarding their children. This information should not only include what their child will be learning and when, and what information is needed to help their child be best prepared for what is to come; it should also include feedback about the progress of their child, particularly positive feedback. This pleasant form of communication is always welcomed and appreciated by parents, but is most beneficial early on because it opens the ears and hearts of parents straightaway. However, in order to win someone's heart, trust must be present, and one of the best ways to gain the trust of others is through transparency. When it is evident to parents that teachers believe enough in their program to make it open and available to the parents at all times, and proud enough of their curriculum to invite them to come see what it contains, parents trust that the teachers have nothing to hide and assume good things are happening. Taken even a step further, when teachers invite parents to be a part of the lessons, events, and activities, parents tend to acquire a sense of ownership; and it is very difficult to feel a part of something great and not provide loyalty and support in some way. Since such relationships, communication, and powerful programs that merit transparency take plenty of effort, passion, and time to develop, many PE teachers may question how one can manage such a feat and still accomplish all of the additional tasks most physical educators must endure as they attempt to break down common barriers that continually hinder their progress. They don't—at least not in this district. Many of these overwhelming responsibilities are nonexistent in the SSPE model due to the existence of a proficient and effective full-time district PE coordinator. Besides relieving the PE teachers of common overwhelming loads and program barriers, the district PE coordinator also heightens teacher effectiveness and motivation by holding them accountable and providing them with the ongoing professional development and support needed to win the hearts of the community through regular program advocacy practices. This alleviation provided by the district PE coordinator allows teachers to focus on what should be their top priorities: teaching and advocacy. Apparently, the existence of this crucial role makes an enormous difference in the program's success and sustainability.

The purposes of this comparative study were to determine the effects of (1) a specially developed gifted curriculum for grades four and five on gifted learners, (2) two contrasting instructional delivery systems for gifted students, and (3) differential levels of teacher training in gifted education. The sample was 112 fourth and fifth grade academically gifted students. The students were grouped for comparison based on their assignment to the regular classroom teacher for the 1988-89 school year. Group 1A students attended a one day pull-out gifted program and were assigned to the school based enrichment program taught by teachers who had completed the division training. Group 1B students attended the one day pull-out gifted program and were assigned to the school-based enrichment program taught by teachers with little training. Group 2 students attended the pull-out gifted program and were assigned to regular classrooms. Student growth in the specially developed gifted curriculum was measured in higher level thinking skills, creative thinking skills, self-concept, and research skills, areas that reflected the major goals of the program.;Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to determine student growth gains. Repeated Measures Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used to determine differential effects of the two program delivery models as well as the staff development model. Significant student growth gains in the thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation; the creative thinking skill of figural fluency; and all major research skills were recorded. The pretest scores on the ME Scale revealed that the students had relatively good self-concepts at the start of the study; posttest results indicated that self-concept levels were maintained. No value-added effects which might be attributed to the school-based enrichment curriculum were recorded for either Group 1A or 1B. With the exception of the performance of Group 1A students in grade five on research skills, no significant student growth differences that could be attributed to staff development were recorded.;Implications of the study suggested the need to add a complementary scope and sequence of skills to the school-based enrichment program for each goal area of the gifted program and the importance of staff communication and collaboration between the school-based enrichment program and the pull-out centers. The selection of a delivery model should be reviewed and decisions made based on student needs combined with school district expectations and constraints. The staff development program should be reviewed for focus and emphasis.

This exploratory study examined how well elementary language arts teachers participating in a federal project to raise students' critical thinking abilities scored on tests of critical and creative thinking. Furthermore, it investigated the ways in which these teachers of the language arts have developed their understanding of critical thinking skills, what types of training they bring to the classroom which might enhance the teaching of critical thinking skills, and the methods by which they foster critical thinking in the classroom. Finally, this study examined the relationship among teacher scores on critical and creative thinking tests, their professional development hours, and results on a scale of teacher behaviors.;The study was a mixed design that employed the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Assessment, the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, the Wenglinsky Questionnaire, and an interview protocol. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data and a correlation was run to determine if a relationship existed between tested dimensions.;Overall, the research findings suggest that experimental teachers sought professional development options that dealt with higher order thinking skills more regularly than did comparison teachers. Familiarity with higher order thinking skills may have enabled this group to achieve a slightly higher score on a critical thinking test existed. Implications for practice suggest that further research should replicate this study with a larger sample size to substantiate findings.

Low socioeconomic students represent a population in public schools which is underrepresented and underserved in the talented and gifted programs. Part of the problem may be due to teachers' and parents' abilities to recognize giftedness in economically disadvantaged potentially gifted students and to nominate them for a gifted screening.;The present study attempted to determine if a training program for teachers and parents would increase the valid referral rate of potentially gifted economically disadvantaged students. Teachers at one school received an oral presentation and written summation of economically disadvantaged potentially gifted student characteristics. Teachers at a second school received the written summation only, while third school served as the control.;Results indicate a significant improvement in the teachers' understanding and awareness of traditional, nontraditional, and parent/home characteristics in general. Teachers from the oral and written presentation group showed a significant improvement in their ability to accurately refer economically disadvantaged potentially gifted students following intervention.;Teachers and parents from the treatment schools referred more economically disadvantaged students following treatment than from the control school, although not to a significant degree. However, these students continued to have difficulty meeting the eligibility criteria of the gifted program requirements, resulting in few new students following the intervention.

This qualitative grounded theory study explored teachers' instructional decisions around planning and practice for technology integration after participation in professional development. The purpose of this study was to determine how a long-term hybrid professional development experience influenced, if at all, math teachers' instructional decisions to integrate The Geometer's Sketchpad into their planning and classroom practice. There are several components for effective professional development suggested in the research literature. Professional development that is sustained over long periods of time, connected to teachers' practice, and provides active engagement in learning by participating teachers' is more likely to result in effective implementation of new skills and pedagogical practices (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995; Polly & Hannafin, 2010). The seven participants in this study all experienced a seven-month hybrid professional development that was designed using these research-recommended components. The study took place ten months after the professional development. Sources of data included classroom observations, one-on-one interviews, and written lesson plans. Data generation occurred over a three-month span of time. Data were analyzed using constant-comparative methods. A theory grounded in the data found four perceived influences on teachers' instructional decisions around planning and practice for technology integration: curriculum and district expectations; professional development; teaching practices; and internal and external factors. These four influences work together, with curriculum and district expectations being the central influence. The findings from this study have implications for educational leaders around their decisions for technology acquisitions, use expectations and design of technology-focused professional development.

A mixed methodological approach was used to examine the effects of fourth- and first-grade students cross-age tutoring on mathematics anxiety. 37 Fourth-grade tutors, both trained and untrained, helped 37 first graders use multiple strategies to solve mathematical word problems for 10 weeks. A control group of 16 first-grade students completed the problems independently. Pre-test and post-test mathematics anxiety measures were used. Observations were also conducted throughout the study. The measures used for both primary and intermediate students were effective in identifying students with mathematics anxiety. However, quantitative findings showed no difference for fourth- or first-grade students on mathematics anxiety measures. Results of an ANOVA were not significant. The qualitative findings revealed the trained tutors and their partners were the most structured. They tried more strategies to solve problems and stayed on task better than other groups. Untrained tutors and their partners needed more redirection and engaged in more off-task conversations. First graders with tutors received more positive reinforcement than those who worked independently.

Teachers use professional journals such as Science and Children for ideas to incorporate into their own teaching. As such the purpose of this study was to investigate the support offered for integrating engineering education into science instruction. The research methodology for this was a qualitative content analysis inferring categories based on the information presented. Twenty-three issues of the journal were read, spanning two and a half volume years. The categories that emerged were mentioning, implementing, and integrating. Deeper examples of integration were found to match the mapping and infusion strategies presented by the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council (NAE & NRC, 2009) in Standards for K-12 Engineering Education. The need for consistency in publication of the topic and more explanation on the subject is needed for teachers.

This paper examines the characteristics of effective professional development (PD). It discusses the change process in a system and how it applies to an educational setting, including teacher practice and student achievement. This study uses a survey, interviews, and student benchmark assessment data to assess the influence of PD on a district. Four main themes surfaced from the research in this study: past experiences mold beliefs and practices, coherence throughout a system clarifies expectations, individualized professional learning leads to authentic change in practice, and professional development influences the entire system.

Finding a mentor who works well for you can be both challenging and frustrating. Mentor-mentee matching programs are a great idea and work beautifully for some librarians in specific contexts. What happens when you outgrow, mismatch or need specialized or temporal mentoring? How do you understand the scope of your need? How do you get to the “why” behind building this relationship? In this program, audience members will assess their resources and needs, develop a short list of possible mentors for those needs, identify their personal goals and what they hope to provide a mentor through this relationship. Further, audience members will consider how to build an effective relationship with both accountability and an assessment plan to help both the mentor and mentee understand if goals have been met. Finally, time will be given to ensure audience members consider how best to share the skills and understanding they acquire through this relationship.

Finding a mentor who works well for you can be both challenging and frustrating. Mentor-mentee matching programs are a great idea and work beautifully for some librarians in specific contexts. What happens when you outgrow, mismatch or need specialized or temporal mentoring? How do you understand the scope of your need? How do you get to the "why" behind building this relationship? In this program, audience members will assess their resources and needs, develop a short list of possible mentors for those needs, identify their personal goals and what they hope to provide a mentor through this relationship. Further, audience members will consider how to build an effective relationship with both accountability and an assessment plan to help both the mentor and mentee understand if goals have been met. Finally, time will be given to ensure audience members consider how best to share the skills and understanding they acquire through this relationship.