This qualitative, exploratory case study focused on the design and implementation of a human rights curriculum in a fourth grade, public school classroom. Based on a review of the literature on human rights education, a curriculum incorporating a month long unit, democratic classroom practices, and social action projects was designed and carried out with a group of eighteen, White fourth graders. The study examined students' responses in terms of their thinking about human rights, themselves, and others; their peer relations; and their involvement in social action projects. Data collection methods included participant observation, interviews, audiotaping and videotaping classroom events, and document analysis. Feedback from the students, parents, and teachers in the school helped to establish reliability and confirmability. The major finding of the study was that students' personal experiences, developmental levels, and family and cultural backgrounds strongly influenced their ideas, interests, and subsequent learning about human rights. Most students were able to develop a basic understanding of human rights concepts. Effective teaching techniques were simulations, using children's literature, role play, and action projects. Though the students' peer relations did not change appreciably, most of the students developed a greater interest in human rights issues and learning about different others as a result of the human rights curriculum. The democratic classroom practices and the social action projects gave many students opportunities to become empowered in their own learning. The implications of this study are relevant for teaching at the upper elementary level. It is important for teachers to become aware of children's pre-existing knowledge and attitudes and provide them with with meaningful experiences to build upon or change their thinking. In teaching about human rights and other cultural issues, educators need to be aware of their own biases and teach in ways that reduce rather than increase stereotypes and prejudice. An integrated, comprehensive, and developmentally appropriate approach to human rights instruction will maximize students' learning.

The purpose of this thesis was to explore in-depth the teaching method called teaching for understanding. The thesis shows examples of how this method is used in two different Florida elementary schools, Celebration School and Cypress Elementary School. The nine components of teaching for understanding, suggested by Linda Darling- Hammond, were used as the basis for the classroom observations. Evidence was found for all components during the observations. It was observed that some of the components of teaching for understanding are within a teacher's control and some are not. The research details forms of classroom management, assessment, and activities that worked well and allowed students to learn, and most of all, understand.

This study was developed to identify the specific instructional and professional differences among the most effective, moderately effective, and least effective Grade 4 and Grade 5 teachers of mathematics in one Florida school district. The purpose of this study was to determine the professional preparation, beliefs about student learning, professional practices, (e.g., professional development, planning, reflection, and collaboration with colleagues), and instructional differences among the effectiveness groups of Grade 4 and Grade 5 teachers of mathematics. Mathematics teachers have the responsibility to engage and encourage students to be mathematical thinkers and problem solvers that value mathematics and strive for the best standards (Hattie, 2009). This study applied a mixed-methods approach to gather data from teachers of Grade 4 and Grade 5 mathematics in one Florida school district by utilizing teacher effectiveness scores derived from value-added model and the Elementary Mathematics Teacher Survey© to gather information on teacher: (a) professional preparation, (b) beliefs about student learning, (c) professional practices, and (d) confidence in instructional strategies. The findings of this study expanded the work of previous researchers in improving the effectiveness of elementary mathematics teachers. While no statistically significant results were revealed in the sample population of this study, all the most effective participants had mathematics education in their professional preparation. In addition, all the most effective participants believed students could improve their mathematical learning and school district professional learning contributed to their effectiveness. Furthermore, at least weekly, all most effective participants: (a) modeled accurate academic language, (b) maintained classroom routines, (c) provided feedback, and (d) differentiated instruction. Qualitative findings were summarized from open-ended responses and the themes in the most effectiveness group included: (a) building relationships, (b) differentiating instruction, and (c) providing feedback. The findings of this study assisted school-level and district-level leaders in improving the effectiveness of elementary mathematics teachers.

This nontraditional dissertation is designed to research three separate, but connected, topics of inquiry. The first study is a systematic review of literature intended to better understand how the field has conceptualized and researched relations of power, specifically relations of authority, autonomy, and agency. In this study, I aim to answer two research questions: 1) How has authority, autonomy, and agency been conceptualized in the field of mathematics education over time and from what epistemological perspectives? 2) What results, findings, and themes characterize authority, autonomy, and agency within the field of mathematics education? The second and third studies use data collected from an eight-week observation of a first-grade mathematics classroom. The second study is an interactional ethnographic investigation of the eight-week observational period. In this study, I explore the following research question: What authorities do students socially construct over time in a first-grade mathematics classroom? I found that students constructed two kinds of authority: Mathematical and Ritual. Implications for future research are shared. The third study also uses the data collected from the eight-week observational period. It employs a microethnographic approach to analyze the data collected during the observational period. In this study, I make visible the social construction of opportunities for learning. I explore the following research question: How do students socially construct opportunities to learn over time in a first-grade mathematics classroom? Through tracing a singular utterance, "help," students made visible the ways in which they constructed different opportunities for learning. Implications for research are shared.

As the demographics of the United States change, barriers persistently thwart efforts to ensure that all students, regardless of ethnicity, academic ability, or family circumstance, have equal opportunities to learn. Diminished retention rates of effective educators in Title 1 schools, elevated rates at which students from low-income families are taught by inexperienced or unqualified teachers and insufficient preparation of preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach in Title 1 schools are three such barriers. Policy reform organizations interested in improving the effectiveness of teacher education programs nationwide suggest forging strong clinical partnerships between universities and schools by relocating coursework to school-based settings that more closely resemble the reality of today's classrooms. PSTs, 27 in total, participated in a school-based teacher education intervention situated in a Title 1 school in central Florida to examine the influences of this intervention on PSTs efficacy for culturally responsive teaching and their sense of efficacy for teaching writing to students of diversity in a Title 1 school. Preliminary results indicated that while some PSTs tended to overestimate their efficacy for teaching students of diversity in Title 1 schools prior to the intervention, the school-based course disrupted that reality. Through weekly teaching experiences, PSTs' misconceptions about Title 1 schools, and their own pedagogical practices were challenged. Results yielded a purportedly more efficacious group of PSTs as measured by quantitative survey research and post qualitative responses in this mixed method study.

The goal of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to measure the task-specific self-efficacy beliefs of elementary literacy coaches. In order for this to happen, a synthesis of literature regarding literacy coaching tasks including the International Literacy Association's standards for literacy coaches were used to write several items on the survey. In addition, the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale and the researcher's experiences as an elementary literacy coach were used to write other items on the survey. Experts in the field of literacy coaching and self-efficacy provided content validity. Construct validity was established through correlation statistics with other established instruments that were previously determined as valid. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on the Elementary Literacy Coach Self-Efficacy (ELCSE) survey to determine the underlying constructs the instrument was intended to measure. Data analysis indicated that the ELCSE has a high level of internal reliability and correlated with areas it was intended to correlate with and with areas it was not intended to correlate with, it did not. Data from factor analysis confirmed that the ELCSE measures one construct as intended. Thus, construct validity was established. The results from this study provide opportunities to assess and understand the beliefs of elementary literacy coaches regarding tasks specific to their roles. Additionally, the ELCSE survey offers opportunities to provide training or professional development specific to the needs of elementary literacy coaches. The use of the ELCSE in a practical K-12 educational setting offers school districts and administrators the opportunity to identify tasks the elementary literacy coach feels they would need more support in performing.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of fourth grade teachers working in a large urban school district, where the achievement gap between English Language Learners (ELLs) and non-ELLs was smaller when compared to other schools within the district. The problem originated from the need to consider factors beyond teacher training that potentially influenced academic achievement. The research question guiding this study asked: What are the lived experiences of 4th grade teachers who have taught at identified elementary schools, where ELL students have demonstrated proficiency on the ELA portion of the state standards assessment? The framework in this study was based on previous research that utilized models rooted in social interactionist theory, sociocultural theory, and social constructivism. Participants in this study were selected from Title I schools with the most narrow achievement gap between ELL sub-groups and non-ELL sub-groups, compared to other schools in the district. Purposive sampling was used to identify 10 participants, including at least one teacher from each of the five identified schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to answer the research questions. Five themes emerged and included: (a) language as a barrier to traditional teaching methods; (b) student growth as a primary success; (c) using visuals and other non-verbal instruction; (d) small groups; and (e) building relationships with parents. The themes confirmed findings from previous research, aligned to the theoretical framework, and the themes were used to inform effective teaching practices and guide future research.

This study investigated classroom-based mathematics teacher leader (CBMTL) development through analysis of interview and focus group transcripts, results from a Mathematics Teacher Leadership Experiences survey, application materials, and an evaluation report for an equity-focused, research-to-practice doctoral program centered on developing CBMTLs. A multiple case study was conducted to interpret and understand how K-8 mathematics teachers identified and described ways in which their participation in the program developed them as CBMTLs. Findings suggest that mathematics teachers develop as mathematics teacher leaders in stages and highlight the effectiveness of the research-to-practice partnership model as an impactful pathway for developing CBMTLs. Themes from the study suggest that teachers' identity construction as CBMTLs increases with participation in research-to-practice partnership programs and should be examined from multiple theoretical approaches to include the post-structural, positioning, and narrative approaches. The study also suggests that motivation to teach and lead is linked to experiences teacher leaders have had as learners and doers of mathematics and it highlights participation in research-to-practice partnership programs as a factor for improving teachers' abilities to advance effective mathematics teaching practices. Recommendations were made to clearly distinguish between formal and informal mathematics teacher leadership roles. Mathematics teacher leadership roles can be used to describe any formal roles positioned to support mathematics teachers and mathematics teaching, such as mathematics instructional coach or elementary mathematics specialist. The classroom-based mathematics teacher leader role is assigned specifically to mathematics teachers functioning in leadership capacities while maintaining full-time classroom teacher responsibilities. Continued research is suggested to examine varied implementations of the research-to-practice partnership model as a pathway to CBMTL development with a specific focus on research-to-practice partnership models that are more inclusive of school-based leaders.

Each year Department of Defense schools worldwide outscore most every state in the U.S. on the National Assessment of Education Progress test (Kingston, 2002). This literature review is a culmination of multiple research studies done on various facets of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). It explores the contributing factors of success in DoDEA schools from a perspective of a potential new teacher applicant. This thesis begins with the history of DoDEA since its creation in World War II, and then leads into its chain of command, from the Secretary of Defense down to regional superintendents, school principals, and teachers. The adequate funding and financial resources of Do DEA are explained, along with the Community Strategic Plan, which is a set of guidelines that drives all school program decisions. School curriculum and instruction, professional development, and parent influence and the military's corporate commitment to excellent are also discussed. Perhaps, more than any other factor, the community influence and support for academic excellence contribute to its sustained success.

The purpose of this study is to examine if a difference exists in the quantity and/or quality, in terms of effectiveness in the portrayal of teachers, and according to gender, in New York Times best selling picturebooks, 2008 to 2012. This study examines the depiction of a teacher in terms of their effectiveness, as defined by Robert Walker’s 12 Characteristics of an effective teacher. Examining each of the portrayed teachers for both the 12 effective characteristics, as well as their direct antithesis, presents a clear image of the teachers presented to young audiences through picturebooks. In addition to comparing the presentation of a male teacher as opposed to a female teacher, this study revealed the depiction of teachers to be one who is almost always female, generally prepared, creative, and positive. Educational implications for choosing picturebooks and highlighting positive qualities to children are also provided.