<p> This study was a program evaluation on the co-teaching model within the Smallville School District (a pseudonym) measuring its effectiveness defined by the perceptions of leaders in the field of special education. This study filled the gap of previous co-teaching studies by investigating a rural school district, across all buildings. The researcher selected the tools of classroom observations; convenience sample interviews; administrator, teacher, student, and parent surveys; and secondary data from High Quality Professional Development (HQPD) and the school budget. </p><p> The researcher collected data with surveys, observations, and interviews to determine the perceptions of all stakeholders involved in the co-teaching experiences in the Smallville School District. Results included four essential emerging themes compiled from all interviews and surveys noted by the researcher. These themes were a lack of professional development, lack of common plan time, lack of consistent collaboration, and lack of emphasis on co-teaching due to extensive curriculum writing, during the 2013-2014 school year. When taking the MAP data and applying it to a t-test by two unequal samples at each level, the researcher found significant differences in the general education and special education scores at the elementary Communication Arts 2013 data, secondary Mathematics 2013 data, and the secondary Communication Arts 2013 data. Special education students in the co-teaching setting showed an overall increase in tests scores than their counterparts in the special education setting. The general education students in a co-teaching classroom, maintained or their scores decreased on the MAP and EOC.</p>

<p> Researchers and practitioners have indicated that current teacher evaluation systems do not distinguish differences between teachers. In an attempt to redesign the current system and create a more effective system, legislative mandates required the use of multiple measures in the teacher evaluation systems of states receiving federal money. As a result student perception surveys became one of the multiple measures being considered for use in the teacher evaluation process. In this study, student perception survey results and certified evaluator observation results were analyzed to determine if there was a significant linear relationship between students' and evaluators' perceptions of effective teaching. Central tendencies, minimum, maximum, and standard deviation were calculated using the scores of both variables for each indicator to find the variability within the data sets. Additionally, a Pearson r was used to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between the two variables using six teaching indicators designed through the Network for Educator Effectiveness teacher evaluation program. The Pearson r revealed a significant linear relationship between the two variables for two of the six indicators and a weak to moderate positive relationship for the remaining four. Finally, quartiles of students' and evaluators' scores were calculated and analyzed to further explore potential relationships between the variables. Quartile patterns indicated a potential positive relationship for all six indicators. The results from this study can be used to help local, regional, and state decision-makers better understand the advantages and disadvantages of the various measures commonly used to evaluate teaching personnel.</p>

<p> This qualitative study was exploratory in nature. The goals were to examine: (a) if and how bilingual early care and education (ECE) teachers perceived their personal second- language learning experiences to have informed their practices in the classroom, and (b) to explore the teachers' experiences working in classrooms with children who spoke multiple home languages. The following research questions were addressed: (1) What are bilingual ECE teachers' teaching practices with children who are dual language learners (DLL)? (2) In what ways do bilingual ECE teachers' second language learning experiences influence their teaching practices with DLL children? The nine female ECE teachers participating in this study were bi- or multilingual, had completed a college-level degree, and had at least 3 years of experience working in ECE. Data sources included a Participant Demographic Questionnaire, two observations, an interview, a reflection activity, and follow-up letters. Results identified the use of several best practices for working with DLLs, and classroom practice was found to be empathetic, inclusive, and encouraging of children to maintain their home language. Overarching findings showed the importance teachers placed on providing a seamless experience for DLL children, the need for additional training specific to teaching DLL children, and the importance of preparing DLL children for future success. Research, practice, and policy implications are: (a) draw on bilingual teachers and their personal experiences and practical knowledge, (b) implement policy changes at the state level that would create a new certification, and (c) address the content of higher education degrees and ECE training.</p>

<p> Self-efficacy affects the way a person decides to live his or her life. Efficacy can dictate whether a person takes a risk, can influence personal and professional goals, and can determine what a person does when failure arises. Strong self-efficacy includes perseverance, motivation, and courage to try an unfamiliar path. In education, efficacy is imbedded in a school environment. The areas of efficacy that co-exist in an educational setting are teacher efficacy, collective efficacy, and student efficacy. The focus of this study is the influence instructional coaching has on teacher efficacy and how that efficacy affects student achievement. Research indicates that there is a relationship between teacher efficacy and student achievement. The question is whether teacher efficacy is influenced by support from an instructional coach in a school setting. In this mixed methods study there were many indications to support the need for instructional coaching in an efficacious school system. Themes found in the interviews and teacher reflections indicated a strong need for effective school leadership, strong professional learning communities, supportive grade level teams, and instructional support found within an instructional coach. Use of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale along with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed the positive effects instructional coaching had on the instructional efficacy of the participants involved in this study. Finally, a paired samples <i>t</i>-test showed evidence of student achievement being affected by the support teachers received from the instructional coach. These topics remain relevant to the challenges facing teachers today who need ongoing instructional support to help them with implementation of state and federal mandates and educational standards.</p>

<p> This instrumental, collective, targeted case study explores decisions elementary preservice teachers make with respect to culturally responsive teaching through the lens of dialogic teaching. Most candidates currently enrolled in elementary teacher education programs in the United States are young, white, and female. Meanwhile, the population of students in U.S. schools grows increasingly diverse, leading to a widening cultural gap between teachers and many of their students. Many preservice teachers opt not to use culturally responsive instructional strategies, particularly those related to communication, also known as dialogic teaching practices, despite research indicating such practices foster improved academic achievement for all students-but especially for students of color who are typically underserved in U.S. schools. Who the preservice teachers are when they enter teacher education programs, their experiences inside and outside of school, plus factors as broad as the context of schooling in the United States to as narrow as the impact of one particular student in a classroom, influence the choices a preservice teacher makes when faced with a lesson to teach, a room full of young children, and a ticking clock. Explicating decisions made by preservice teachers through direct classroom observations, followed by one-on-one interviews, provides a glimpse into factors promoting or inhibiting participants' use of dialogic teaching strategies. This study is part of the larger effort to support student discourse and teacher preparation through the use of one component of culturally responsive instruction as viewed through the lens of dialogic teaching, thus addressing the need to better serve all children in our nation's schools. </p>

<p> Secondary students in the United States are now competing in a global marketplace (Wagner, 2010). Any factor which decreases student achievement must be alleviated to permit students to reach their full academic potential. Student achievement has been negatively linked with teacher attrition (Ronfeldt, Loeb, &amp; Wyckoff, 2012): occupational commitment has also been negatively linked with attrition. Occupational commitment, therefore, is related to student achievement and success. </p><p> Ethics is commonly recognized as an integral part of education, yet there is little research on the ethical beliefs of teachers, especially on teachers at the secondary level. Previous research has established connections between occupational commitment and factors such as stress and job satisfaction. However, there has been little research that explores the connection between ethical beliefs and occupational commitment. </p><p> The purpose of the study was to explore potential connections between teachers' ethical beliefs and their occupational commitment. More specifically, North Carolina secondary teachers were surveyed to obtain information about their idealism, relativism, academic department, and occupational commitment. The theoretical framework of the study was a synthesis of ethical position theory (Forsyth, 1980), person-vocation fit, and value consonance (Rosenberg, 1977). The ethical position questionnaire (Forsyth, 1980) was used to measure teachers' idealism and relativism; the occupational commitment scales (Meyer, Allen, &amp; Smith, 1993) were used to measure teachers' occupational commitment. </p><p> The study was expected to confirm relationships between the study variables and to identify ethical beliefs as a predictor of low occupational commitment. In fact, no significant relationships were discovered between the study variables. However, North Carolina teachers were determined to be a homogeneous group of individuals in terms of idealism and relativism. Teachers' academic department had no bearing on teachers' ethical beliefs. This observation was in contrast to previous research which had indicated the presence of subjectbased subcultures in secondary schools. Although unexpected, this finding was significant as it suggests secondary subculture is based primarily on difference in subject matter rather than on teachers' personal beliefs and values. On a more practical level, the knowledge that secondary teachers exist as a homogeneous population of ethical beliefs will enable administrators to more effectively recruit new teachers. Administrators will also be able to better predict faculty reaction to new policies and procedures with an increased understanding of their faculty's ethical beliefs.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to provide insight into teacher perceptions as to if and how professional learning communities (PLCs) promote and support effective professional development in a rural high school. Effective professional development should enhance pedagogy, which is defined as improving educational practices of teachers through opportunities that increase knowledge and improve skills (No Child Left Behind, 2001, Section 9101). A case study approach and qualitative data collection methods were selected for the study due to the real-life context in which the inquiry occurred. Data collection began with surveys in order to acquire a broad view of teachers' perceptions, focus groups provided more specificity to teachers' perceptions, and finally individual interviews afforded the most detailed information. </p><p> The themes that emerged indicated that collaboration is the most important characteristic of a professional learning community in terms of usefulness, flexibility, and professional growth. Most teachers indicated that due to participation in a PLC they had grown professionally and their students had also benefitted. A major theme throughout participant responses was the need for both job-embedded professional development (PLCs) and traditional professional development (workshops, conferences, etc.). Teachers, administration, and board members of similar rural school districts may benefit from this study by understanding teachers&rsquo; perceptions of effective professional development that impacts classroom instruction. </p>

Errorless academic compliance training is a proactive, noncoercive approach to treating oppositional behavior in children. Three teaching staff in a special education classroom were trained to conduct this intervention with three male students diagnosed with autism. During baseline, staff delivered a range of classroom requests and recorded student compliance with these requests. A hierarchy (of 4 levels) of compliance probabilities for requests was then calculated. Requests ranged from Level 1, those yielding high compliance, to Level 4, those leading to oppositional responding. At the beginning of intervention, teaching staff delivered Level 1 requests, providing praise and other reinforcement for compliance. Subsequent levels were faded in gradually over time. By the end of intervention, students demonstrated substantially improved compliance to requests that had yielded high levels of noncompliance before intervention. Follow-up at 4 weeks indicated that treatment gains were maintained. Covariant improvement in academic on-task skills was also evident.

Errorless academic compliance training is a proactive, noncoercive approach to treating oppositional behavior in children. Three teaching staff in a special education classroom were trained to conduct this intervention with three male students diagnosed with autism. During baseline, staff delivered a range of classroom requests and recorded student compliance with these requests. A hierarchy (of 4 levels) of compliance probabilities for requests was then calculated. Requests ranged from Level 1, those yielding high compliance, to Level 4, those leading to oppositional responding. At the beginning of intervention, teaching staff delivered Level 1 requests, providing praise and other reinforcement for compliance. Subsequent levels were faded in gradually over time. By the end of intervention, students demonstrated substantially improved compliance to requests that had yielded high levels of noncompliance before intervention. Follow-up at 4 weeks indicated that treatment gains were maintained. Covariant improvement in academic on-task skills was also evident.

<p> This quasi-experimental value-added study provided evidence for the predictive validity of the Massachusetts MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Subtest by finding an association between the licensure test results of 130 teachers and the growth of their 2640 grade 4 and 5 students. The study took advantage of a natural experiment that arose due to a policy change made by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) in response to the initial administration of a new highly rigorous math-specific licensure subtest for elementary and special education teachers in March, 2008. The emergency amendment allowed test takers to conditionally pass the licensure test based upon a lower, temporary cut score, therefore providing a comparison group of teachers who received conditional licensure without fully passing the licensure test. The study sample used a cross-sectional data set acquired from MADESE for the 2010-11 school year, the first year for which data was available that linked individual teachers to their students. The dependent variable of students' mathematics Student Growth Percentile (SGP) score on the statewide test, the MCAS, incorporated prior achievement and was calculated by comparing each student to his or her academic peers. OLS regression analyses including student background variables, classroom variables, and teacher characteristic variables showed that teacher results on the MTEL math test were positively associated with student math SGP scores. The strength of the association found in this study was substantial relative to the research literature and comparable in magnitude with established factors such as student low-income status. The predictive power of the MTEL math test was strongest at the lower range of test scores, suggesting that policymakers should consider lowering the permanent cut score to the level set by the emergency amendment in order to avoid screening effective teachers out of the workforce and potentially decreasing student achievement.</p>