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.

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of student teachers' prior school experiences on their learning to teach. Specifically, the two goals of the study were: (a) to describe student teachers' prior school experiences and, (b) to provide an intervention in the form of an opportunity to reflect on those experiences. The participants were social studies student teachers who planned to teach in the following semester. Six trainees were interviewed individually about their prior school experiences and the connections they saw with their role as a trainee. A support group was established in which the participants shared their experiences and in which specific topics were explored in greater depth. Finally, at the end of the support group meetings, the student teachers again were interviewed individually. Data were examined for indications of the influence of prior school experiences (a) on student teachers' beliefs about teaching, learning and education, and (b) on student teachers' beliefs about self worth and abilities. Within the latter category, the influence of schooling on the formation of trainees' gender identities was examined. The data provided strong support for the influence of prior school experience both on trainees' beliefs about teaching and on their beliefs about self worth. Oppression theory, including both gender relationships and the dominant/subordinate power relationship of teacher to student, was provided as a framework through which the participants could re-evaluate their school experiences. Reflecting on their earlier school experiences encouraged participants to be more conscious of the negative ways in which their development had been limited by their schooling. Post intervention interviews showed greater awareness and concern about the need to treat their own students in ways that would be fully respectful of students' identities and abilities.

Statement of problem. Mainstreaming requires communication and collaboration between regular classroom teachers and special education teachers. In communicating, these teachers bring preconceived perceptions/attitudes of one another with them. Attitudes are emotionally charged ideas that lend predictability to our personalities and help us adjust to our environment. The understanding of perceptions is a first step in helping groups to accept one another. What is the relationship between mainstreaming and the acceptance of special teachers by other faculty members? There is a dearth of research in the area of attitudes/acceptance of special teachers by other teachers. This exploratory study closely examines this "first step" in the mainstreaming process. Methodology. Two sets of surveys were developed which assessed the relationship between successful mainstreaming and faculty acceptance of special education teachers. Twenty-three teachers from four elementary schools completed these surveys. Correlational research methods were used to compare variables between the surveys. Findings. It was found that more positive social acceptance/relationships between regular teachers and special teachers were associated with: (1) More positive attitudes toward special children. (2) More positive feelings on the part of regular teachers about the method in which they were selected for mainstreaming. (3) Better preparation of regular teachers for mainstreaming. (4) Higher levels of communication between these two groups of teachers. (5) More positive attitudes toward special education. Regular teachers reported that although they felt positively about the way they were selected for mainstreaming, they had negative attitudes toward their special students. High visibility of special teachers was associated with more success for mainstreamed students, more social acceptance, and more openness toward special children. Regular teachers with more special education credits were more positive about mainstreaming. However, regular classroom teachers with "regular" education credits earned beyond their master's degree had more negative attitudes toward special children. Conclusions. The findings of this study raise some significant issues including negative attitudes toward special children, poor communication and social acceptance between special teachers and regular teachers, lack of preparation, and a feeling of uncomfortableness in teaching special children. A staff development project addressing these issues is presented.

In response to the current educational reform movement that has ensued as a result of the publication of A Nation at Risk (1983), the Massachusetts legislature passed the Educational Reform Act in 1993. From this Act, an educational reform plan was developed for all public schools, and curriculum frameworks were written for the major academic areas. The frameworks recommend what should be taught, and they encourage teachers to align their curriculum with the frameworks. This dissertation describes a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 15 teachers throughout the state of Massachusetts, from the fall of 1999 through the fall of 2001. The study investigated the experiences these teachers had with the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum framework . The teachers who were interviewed represent a cross-section of teachers diverse in geographic location, number of years teaching, gender, ethnicity, and experience with curriculum development. The extensive responses to the interviews were analyzed in light of the research questions in this study. Through the literature review, documents, and the interviews, I was able to analyze teachers' experiences working specifically with the history and social science framework, and to assess the impact that the framework was having on their teaching, curriculum development, and student learning. This analysis revealed consistent patterns and themes. These included teachers' common school experiences of not having an organized school curriculum prior to the framework; their perception of the lack of multiculturalism in the framework; and their concerns about the exclusion of teachers from the framework process. The information analyzed from the interviews can be used to guide school systems in the development of educational policies, as well as in the creation of curriculum. This study has the potential to assist those interested in both professional development and teacher education.

Contemporary Hip-Hop scholarship has revealed that Hip-Hop is a racially diverse, youth-driven culture, that is intimately connected to prior as well as on-going social justice movements (Chang, 2004; Kitwana, 2002). This study explores its Afro-Diasporic and activist origins, as well as the impact of Hip-Hop culture on the identity development of educators belonging to the Hip-Hop generation(s). This qualitative study also examines how Hip-Hop culture impacts educators' identity politics and personal pedagogy, while seeking to create a new model of Social Justice Hip-Hop Pedagogy. This study was produced through twenty-three in-depth interviews with influential Hip-Hop educators or “elites” (Thomas, 1993; Aberbach & Rockman, 2002; Becker & Meyers, 1974; Zuckerman, 1974) from diverse backgrounds and geographic locations. There are currently limited theoretical and conceptual frameworks in the literature supporting the use of Hip-Hop as Social Justice Pedagogy, yet is currently being used in K-16 educational contexts throughout the United States and abroad (Duncan-Andrade & Morrell, 2008). The results of this study reveal the foundational basis consisting of four primary functions and seven practical tenets, necessary to negotiate and implement a new and innovative model for Social Justice Hip-Hop Pedagogy.

This paper attempts to display how five teachers of social studies use and relate to the policy documents and their instructions on gender. To penetrate the subject, five teachers were intreviewed. Each interview focused on how the curriculum attempts to guide teachers regarding gender, sex differences and equality of opportunity. The collected information was processed, analyzed and discussed using gender studies and discourse theory. The results show that the interpretation and usage of the curriculum is very subjective and varies greatly between all the interviewed teachers. Their personal interpretation proves to be crucial when it comes to making reality of the stated goals in the curriculum, concerning actively working towards equality of opportunity between sexes. For example, two teachers strongly believe they do not treat their students differently based on sex, while three others find it a delicate problem that they do treat female and male students differently. The ideas on how to implement gender theory into their teaching also vary greatly. This marked difference in interpretations of the curriculum can be explained mainly in two ways. Firstly, the policy documents and curriculum are very indistinct, providing only guidelines and very few, or no, direct instructions on how to use gender theory when teaching. Secondly, the personal background of each teacher, including upbringing, education and personal interest, shows vast importance on how to interpret the guidelines of the curriculum. The paper also shows a conflict between the attempted individual treatment of each student based on the specific needs of that individual student, and the thought of equal treatment and rights, regardless of sex. A discussion is held concerning how male and female teachers find themselves in different roles, and how the call for a greater number of male teachers include a call for specific typically “male” characteristics. Finally, the paper points out that the usage of gender studies in school implies that the heterosexual norm is the standard, and the issue of equal rights regardless of sexual preference is not even addressed.