<p> Puerto Rican English teachers are included in a difficult recruitment category because a shortage amount of them reached a university degree in this area every year. The primary purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore how Elementary English teachers perceived their first experience as professional versus the knowledge they acquired in their bachelor's degree. Likewise, this study tried to identify those college courses that made easier their first experience of teaching at the Department of Education of Puerto Rico and how the universities reduce the dilemma of transition between the theory and practice in these professionals. Five new English teachers recruited in Puerto Rico's public schools with an experience of less than three years in this area participated in this research. Data were collected through two independent semi structured interviews, a review of documents related to school and universities, and the investigator field notes. Analysis of the data suggested that both, Puerto Rico's universities and the Department of Education need to keep up the most effective communication in order to bring these professionals the skills and knowledge they need to master as Elementary English teachers in public schools in Puerto Rico as well as they feel reliable during their transition between formal studies and job experience, and decide to keep their profession.</p>

<p> My study concerns the teacher knowledge of <i>mehankhim</i>, teachers in Israeli high schools entrusted to promote students' moral, civic, and social growth. It examines two <i>mehankhim</i> from a secular Israeli high school who participated in a long-term professional development program in secular Jewish education, centered by traditional and modern Jewish texts. This study is situated within the body of research on teachers' professional development, focusing on the vocation of <i>mehanekh</i> in secular Jewish education, teachers' professional knowledge, and <i>mehankhim's </i> life stories. I suggest that <i>mehankhim</i> are professionals, with a professional practical knowledge unique to them, despite their current lack of specific training for their vocation. One major source of knowledge that informs the practice of today's <i>mehankhim</i> is the historical legacy of the role. A second is the evolution of Israeli public discourse, which demands a corresponding evolution in the undefined "mission statement" of <i>mehankhim</i>, and in their preparation and in-service training. Using the qualitative method of portraiture and relying on narrative analysis, I have drawn portraits of two <i>mehankhim</i>. I completed a full ethnographic survey of the participants in their professional setting, engendering the creation of a multi-layered, comprehensive and esthetic whole. This study examines ways to professionalize the vocation of <i>mehankhim</i>. It offers hope for change in the Israeli public discourse by well-trained Jewish and Arab <i>mehankhim</i>, invigorated with a new popular mandate; it suggests an opportunity for Jewish Israeli <i>mehankhim</i> to collaborate with their American counterparts in Jewish education, giving Jewish texts a central role.</p>

<p> The purpose of this exploratory research study was to investigate leadership experiences of teacher leaders in American PK-12 Christian schools. An overarching research question guided the study: How do principal-identified teacher leaders in PK-12 faith-based Christian schools experience leadership in a distributed leadership environment, as told from the teacher leaders' perspectives? As researcher, I chose a distributed leadership practice conceptual framework as the lens for the research study. The literature review focused on three areas: (a) Christian school structure and culture, (b) teacher leaders, and (c) distributed leadership. The research design consisted of purposeful sampling using semistructured interviews and a constructivist epistemology (Merriam, 2009). The research study involved 24 participants from PK-12 American Christian schools; 16 were principal-identified teacher leaders and 8 were heads of school or principals. Through the data analysis, six intangible themes emerged from the teacher leaders that proved to be central tenets of the research. The emergent themes constituted (a) an unconditional love for the school community, (b) a global school perspective, (c) an influencer, (d) a leader by example, (e) a mentor to other teachers, and (f) a desire to improve their schools. Then, using a comparative analysis, four themes emerged from the heads of school and principals. The themes converged with those of the teacher leaders, with two exceptions. First, a dichotomy occurred in the definition of <i>teacher leader</i> among the teacher leader participants; respectively, this dichotomy occurred between the teacher leader participants and the heads of school and principal participants. Second, with regard to human capital, a talent management and leadership succession theme for identifying and developing teacher leaders emerged from the heads of school and principals. Interestingly, the data analysis revealed that the study's findings have implications for PK-12 public and private schools in theory, practice, and policy.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the use of instructional videos in K - 12 classrooms. This study sought to determine how often the use of instructional videos occurred in K - 12 classrooms, how the instructional videos were used, teachers' perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of using instructional videos, and the frequency with which the cognitive theory of multimedia learning recommendations were included in the design of the videos that were being used. </p><p> A mixed-method study was used to answer the research questions. The superintendents at two different school districts in southwestern Pennsylvania distributed an online, researcher-created survey via a mass e-mail system. A total of 324 classroom teachers were invited to participate in the study, and 73 teachers responded to the survey creating a 23 % response rate. </p><p> Based on the findings, 85 % of the K - 12 educators who responded used instructional video technology for educational purposes. The frequency of use results indicated that the teachers used instructional videos frequently and maintained a collection of different video titles. Teachers reported using instructional videos to <i>reinforce, motivate, meet student needs, </i> provide <i>authentic content,</i> and <i>demonstrate. </i> Advantages to using instructional videos included <i>maximize instructional time, teacher and student control, multi-modal instruction, </i> and <i>motivation.</i> Teachers reported the following disadvantages to using instructional videos: <i> lack of access, full group viewing, lack of interaction,</i> and <i>learning barriers. </i> </p><p> The cognitive theory of multimedia learning is a theory of how people learn from multimedia messages and defines specific design features that, based on empirical research, improve learning. This study investigated the use of the design principles recommended by the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Although the principles of voice, politeness, pre-training, personalization, and signaling were present the majority of the time in the instructional videos used by K - 12 teachers, the principles of redundancy, spatial contiguity, temporal contiguity, coherence, and segmentation were used less frequently. </p>

<p> This mixed method study examines teachers' and administrators' perceptions of what contributes to the growth of the students in the educational disabilities subgroup in reading within the context of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) mandated by NCLB in New Hampshire until June, 2013. This study researches effective reading instruction for students identified with reading disabilities, and the factors within a school that support it, that help that group become proficient in reading. Using the New England Common Assessment Program and AYP data as criteria, four schools that had made AYP in 2011 and 2012 were selected. Participants were 68 special education and regular education teachers and five administrators. Data were collected by 15 initial interviews with special educators, administrators, and reading specialists. Fifty-three classroom teachers were then surveyed. QSR NVivo analyzed qualitative data while quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS software. Analysis yielded six key factors: highly trained teachers, high expectations of success, what the district provides both in resources and organization, collaboration/communication, what to do when students don't make progress, and delivery of instruction. The study yielded a list of the most used direct instruction programs, while small group instruction in the classroom or resource room was the preferred method of instructional delivery. A framework for decision-making was suggested, which included core curriculum, programs, time x intensity, progress monitoring, and tuning-up (CPTPT).</p><p> Key Words: reading instruction, students with disabilities, elementary education, Response to Intervention.</p>

<p> In the spring of 2012, Kansas became the first state in the nation to integrate social, emotional, and character development (SECD) education into a set of state standards to heighten Kansas' K-12 students' academic and life skills, thus requiring all current and future teachers to be versed in this type of education. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how department leaders and professors of teacher-education programs in Wichita, Kansas, perceived a restructured SECD teaching curriculum was necessary to enhance their preservice teacher curriculums. Two research questions and four sub-questions explored perceptions of the three department leaders and four professors from each faculty of Wichita's three teacher-education departments regarding the significance and necessity of Kansas' new social, emotional, character development (SECD) state standards. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, personal interviews, and departmental documents. Assimilated results between the three departments were mixed. The emergence of three themes centered on the lack of knowledge of the new standards, the use and integration of dispositions, and the importance of strong leadership. All respondents indicated the significance of the new standards, with respondents from two of the departments alluding to the possibility of the new standards being integrated at some future point into their curriculums. The implications for this study, which was the first of its kind in Kansas, supported both the significance and necessity for the new state SECD standards, and the importance of strong leadership in higher education when making curricular changes and adjustments.</p>

<p> This qualitative dissertation study explores the various roles and practices that classroom teachers can enact in their work to increase the college going rates of working-class Latina/o youth. Utilizing Stanton-Salazar's (2011) <i> empowerment social capital</i> theoretical framework, this study examined the role and identity development, practices, and challenges of 14 classroom teachers whose college-focused work aimed to increase their students' <i> social capital</i>, resources, and opportunities for higher education. In addition, it also examined those cases when educators extended their work to actively counter the inequitable schooling conditions and structures facing working-class Latina/o youth (i.e., <i>empowerment agents</i>). Utilizing interviews, document collection, and journal responses, some of the emerging themes included: the role that teachers' personal identities play in their practices for college access and social justice, the lack of funding and resources for students' college planning prompting educators' efforts, and the various challenging schooling structures and policies testing teacher sustainability. Policy and practice recommendations aim to increase the development of resource-generating and empowering relationships between working-class Latina/o youth and their teachers, as well as to develop structures and environments required for teacher sustainability. Recommendations for further research are also provided.</p>

<p> Technology is increasingly present in American homes and offices and in nearly every form of American entertainment. As a result, U.S. society has become dependent on technology. Most Americans' daily routine consists of frequent interactions with electronic gadgets, interfaces, and computers in order to purchase goods online, meet people, and work. Therefore, to some extent, U.S. schools should mimic the current social environment by using technology as an educational tool. The global environment demands that students have 21st-century technology skills. Today's students learn using different modalities that require various accommodations in the classroom setting. Teachers play a pivotal role in fully preparing and engaging students. Thus, it is important to identify what factors influence teachers' decision to integrate current technology educational tools in the classroom. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to determine the strength of the relationships, if any, between teachers' demographics, use of current technological tools, attitudes, professional development, and rate and stage of technology adoption/integration. A survey instrument created by Buckenmeyer was modified and updated to reflect the technologies used in the classroom. Five elementary urban public schools and 133 teachers in Newark, New Jersey, participated in the study. Their responses were used to determine the relationships between various factors and the rate and stage of technology adoption/integration. </p><p> Significant correlations were found between technology adoption/integration and each of the categories&mdash; especially teachers' beliefs and attitudes and professional/staff development. Various items in each category were found to be significantly correlated with technology adoption/integration, including teachers' belief that they are better teachers with technology and addressing students' learning styles. Additionally, mean scores showed strong agreement with the desire to participate in professional/staff development workshops on how to integrate current technology educational tools into the instruction, especially into the new English language arts and math curricula in Newark Public Schools. </p><p> Based on the strength and significance of the correlations and mean scores, there were three recommendations for stakeholders regarding the factors that influence teachers' decision to integrate current technology educational tools into the classroom: (a) improve teachers' belief in and attitudes toward the use of current technology educational tools; (b) provide continuous, technology-infused professional development opportunities that align with the current literacy and math curricula; and (c) provide current technology educational tools such as hardware, learning software, and Web 2.0.</p>

<p> This study was designed to involve a variety of research methods, resulting in a mixed methods, case study approach to investigate best teaching practices in an elementary blended learning environment. The research-based evaluation work of Charlotte Danielson was incorporated as the theoretical framework for this research. Differing methods of tablet use were observed in 10 classrooms while data was collected on student engagement. Blended learning is among best teaching practices, though surprisingly, educators in this study were not familiar with blended learning models and techniques. The term "blended learning" in the context of this K-5 study meant utilizing different technology devices as a means to enhance teaching. Many educators are utilizing tablets in their classrooms on a daily basis without adequate professional development. The influx of tablets in America's schools has not been well planned nor have professional development opportunities provided teachers with the necessary training to fully implement and integrate best practice in their classrooms. Findings from this study help fill the gap in elementary level and rural area schools. Results from this research indicate that blended learning tools enrich the elementary school classroom. Tablet usage in this study demonstrated seamless bridging for all levels of academic achievement. Students were observed utilizing metacognitive skills when collaborating with their peers and demonstrating their learning through projects on their tablets. Three themes emerged from the interview data. First, blended learning and the integration of technology as a best practice supports current literature. The second theme involved professional development, including teachers' desire for both building- and district-level support as well as the frequency of professional development, and teacher technology support. And third, the school is the vehicle for teacher collaboration, differentiation for students, and engagement of students.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to enable children with physical disabilities to become more included in their education and with their peers. An extensive literature review was performed to investigate the best way to meet these needs through the usage of assistive technology (AT) devices and how such technology can be implemented into an educational curriculum. </p><p> The Inclusion Through Assistive Technology (ITAT) program has the following goals: (1) train children and teachers on the usage of AT devises, (2) reduce children's emotional difficulties, and (3) increased the involvement of children and parents in the educational process. </p><p> The Children's Charity Fund was selected as the program's potential funder, due to its focus on the educational needs of the target population. The actual submission of the proposal was not a requirement of the thesis project. </p>