This life history research utilizes life story, a form of personal narrative, with a veteran teacher leader to understand what fosters and sustains teacher leaders. This research contributes to the literature by focusing on how the life story of one veteran educator, Dr. Nettie Webb, can inform possibilities rather than focusing on how personal narratives impede possibilities of change in the early years of teaching. I have selected Dr. Webb as an exemplar or instrumental case for her personal achievements as an African American woman located in the context of one Eastern United States community with cultural, institutional and historical commitments to valuing every citizen's contributions. The centrality of teaching across her career makes Dr. Webb uniquely positioned to inform the possibilities of teacher leadership in our current educational culture. Constructivist grounded theory strategies were used to analyze extensive in-depth conversational interviews, a subsequent dialogic interview on personal agency and a collection of career-spanning documents. Categories such as risk and feedback are explicated as implications for how we can foster and support the next generation of teacher leaders through the concept of personal agency. Praxis, the legacy of care and the culture of fear are discussed in the context of personal networks, professional learning communities and the historical norms of caution. Trustworthiness was established by multiple methods, including extensive member checking. The life story of an exemplary veteran teacher leader like Dr. Webb, a person committed to advocating for children in the context of the last five decades of social and educational reform, risks being lost. By capturing Dr. Nettie Webb's life work in print, it not only becomes an accessible memory of this woman and her work but a placeholder of possibility and a window to our educational and social history.

The majority of transgender youth have learning experiences in school that are less than optimal; however, there is a paucity of research on the competencies of educators of transgender learners that could ameliorate the comorbidities and adversities they endure in secondary school. The purpose of this study was to explore what knowledge, attitudes, and skills educators apply to serve transgender learners in secondary school. The conceptual framework of servant leadership was used in this inquiry. A single case study design was used to examine a secondary school participating in the Alberta Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Educator Network that serves all students, including transgender learners. Seven educators from various disciplines and roles participated in a staged collection of data sources, including (a) a document, (b) a questionnaire, and (c) an interview. Data were analyzed using a priori coding, followed by pattern coding. Results showed that educators applied an interrelated and mutual standard of knowledge conventions, attitudinal compassions, and skillful collaborations through various dimensions of servant leadership unique to transgender learners. Educators collectively (a) drew from knowledge largely based on professional experience and grounded in what students had experienced; (b) drew upon attitudes largely based on a shared level of agreement for their thoughts, positions, and feelings and grounded in acceptance, empathy, and focus on the student; and (c) demonstrated skills largely based on their individual roles and grounded in backing students. The findings of this study contribute to positive social change by informing the paradigms, perceptions, and practices of professionals who serve this marginalized group of learners in secondary education.

After the events of September 11th 2001, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts revised their curriculum frameworks to include extensive coverage of Islam and Muslim society. As a result, K-12 teachers had to seek out professional development courses to increase their knowledge on this vast subject. In the summer of 2004, with funding from Fulbright, the University of Massachusetts Amherst together with Boston University offered Massachusetts teachers a cultural immersion program into Islam and Muslim communities in East Africa. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand not just what teachers learned as a result of this four and a half week immersion experience into the lives of Muslims in Kenya and Tanzania, but more importantly how it was learned. I sought to understand and examine what conditions were critical to learning, and subsequently how teachers utilized that learning in their classrooms upon their return, particularly within the contexts of multicultural and global education. This study was situated within the contextual frameworks of experiential education and study abroad. Participants included 10 K-12 teachers from across Massachusetts representing all grade levels and most subjects. Data gathered through direct observation, participant observation, primary documents, and interviews were analyzed and resulted in conclusions that teachers benefit greatly from a study abroad opportunity. Experiences identified as important to their learning included: (1) Actually being in Kenya and Tanzania. (2) Immersion into the lives of East Africans through homestays and other face-to-face encounters, and; (3) Engaging in reflective activities with the group and individually. The study revealed that the teachers applied their experience and learning in a variety of ways. Some teachers were hampered in their attempts to bring their experience into the classrooms due to circumstances beyond their control. All teachers faced obstacles to putting their experience into action, however many developed new and creative lessons based on their learning abroad. In addition, they bolstered and expanded existing lessons by utilizing a variety of materials from East Africa. Many created and implemented professional development workshops for their peers for the first time, reflecting an increase in confidence typical of a study abroad experience. From the work these teachers did, both in the classroom and with their peers, it is clear that their skills, attitudes, knowledge, and understanding concerning Islam and Muslim communities as well as global and multicultural education were enhanced.

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At a Southwestern Tennessee school, students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds consistently perform low on the state standardized test TN Ready Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), as compared to students who are not from low socioeconomic status. In this qualitative case study elementary teachers’ views on instructional strategies for reading and math, professional development, and professional learning communities (PLC) were examined through a theoretical framework based on Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. The study included interview data from 9 teachers teaching Grades 3-5 who have been using strategies to help increase students’ academic achievement. In addition, PLC meeting minutes, and teachers’ data notebooks were reviewed. Data analysis consisted of open coding to develop common themes and patterns. The results of the analysis contributed to an understanding of how teachers benefit from ongoing professional development and PLCs to help them teach struggling students. These results led to the development of a professional development plan that provides reading and math strategies to increase all students’ academic achievement levels. This contributes to a positive social change by creating opportunities to support teachers’ instructional practices and use research-based strategies for reading and math instruction, ultimately increasing student achievement levels so that schools meet their mandated adequate yearly progress goals.

This study examined the pedagogical practice of a teacher educator who taught an elementary reading methods course in an urban teacher residency program. This single case study addressed the lack of a pedagogical structure and professional lexicon within an elementary reading methods course through an exploration of the how one teacher educator used the pedagogies of professional practice to teach emergent reading best practices (Grossman, Compton, Igra, Ronfeldt, Shahan, & Williamson, 2009). In addition, this study applied the pedagogies of professional practice framework to the study of a teacher educator’s pedagogical practice in an elementary reading methods course and explored what the process revealed about this approach as a research tool. The case established a pedagogical structure and lexicon for the reading methods course and determined that the application of the pedagogies of practice to the research process was a viable tool for data analysis. Findings revealed the teacher educator used the pedagogies of professional practice in coordinated ways, drawing on her understanding of reading acquisition and learning theory, to create a pedagogical structure for Emergent Reading. Additionally, the application of the pedagogies of professional practice framework to the research process articulated a structure to study pedagogical practice.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MAGISTER EDUCATIONIS (MATHS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION) TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2010. / The study investigated the attitudes of in-service, teacher education students at a South African University. The study is set in a rural context with participants drawn from the University of Zululand, situated on the north coast of KwaZulu¬Natal province. Data was collected from 88 teachers, enrolled for a National Professional Diploma in Education (NPDE) in technology education at the University. The study aimed at generating information from respondents in an open, qualitative research framework. The study utilized a confirmatory survey approach and the data collection instrument used for the study was adapted from the "Pupils' Attitude Towards Technology" (PATT) instrument used successfully in other countries e.g. Netherlands, United States of America and Thailand. The results of the study indicated that, teachers showed a strong conceptual understanding of technology, and they assigned a great level of importance to knowing how technologies work. Similarly, the study's findings showed that teachers are aware of the positive and negative impact of technology, and that they showed a keen interest in wanting to know more about different technologies. In contrast with their interest, teachers showed a moderate to low level of knowledge and understanding concerning technologies used in their everyday lives. Teachers also felt that they have some influence when it comes to making decisions about technology, but they have very low confidence in leaders of their communities to make decisions about technology. Teachers were also unanimous in their view that technology must play an important role in the school curriculum, and they placed very high expectations on what they believed a high school learner should know about technology.

Teacher education programs have been tasked with the responsibility to develop educators who can successfully infuse technology into their teaching. Despite standards-based expectations, a plethora of technology infusion opportunities, and the importance of faculty roles as models and teachers, physical education teacher education (PETE) programs have yet to demonstrate current expectations for teaching with and about educational technology. In this article, the authors provide a glimpse into the educational technology requirements, challenges, and strategies for teacher education/PETE programs. The authors suggest a call to action among PETE programs to address the issues that prevent PETE graduates from entering their teaching careers less than equipped to effectively use technology to enhance teaching and learning.

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