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This qualitative case study explores with 15 millennial educators, the factors that influenced their decision to stay and progress as leaders within the context of a high-attrition environment. The following assumptions held to be true: (1) the generation-specific retention needs of Millennials are applicable to educators across generations.; (2) high-quality professional development is a key factor in retaining teachers; (3) to provide high-quality support for teachers, schools must carefully craft an effective holding environment that is differentiated developmentally. The site for the study was a high-poverty urban charter network in the Northeastern United States that struggled to retain teachers. The primary sources of data were interviews with 15 millennial teacher leaders, a focus group of five principals, and a document analysis. The findings were analyzed through the four lenses presented in the conceptual framework: motivation for staying, how they learn, what they learn, and reactions to the pandemic. Each of these lenses directly aligned to the study’s four research questions. The analysis served to code the disaggregated data per these four lenses and the synthesis served to reveal teacher perceptions falling into three categories that were then used to further interpret the analysis. The major findings were: (1) A strong majority of participants indicated they were motivated to stay in a high attrition environment because they liked their colleagues; while an equal number cited the positive school culture as a contributing factor to their retention. (2) A slight majority of participants indicated that the Covid-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to be innovative. (3) A majority of participants indicated a desire to develop their capacity for learning and leading. (4) A strong majority of participants described they learned largely in informal ways by dialoguing with others and through observation. The principal recommendation from this study is that in order to retain teachers in a high attrition environment, there must be a positive school culture. Schools that want to retain employees need to 1) provide learning opportunities and support the development of leadership skills and 2) support and provide the resources for informal adult learning to maintain this culture.

Despite a growing consensus that teacher quality is central to student learning, teacher evaluation systems have long been focused on compliance, rather than implemented in service of improved instruction and/or accountability for performance. In recent years, in response to a growing sense that evaluation policy failed to meet the needs of teachers or the communities they serve, a variety of stakeholders successfully advocated for dramatic changes to teacher evaluation policies in states and districts across the United States. These reforms largely focused on greater standardization, the use of data to draw conclusions about teacher performance, and increased accountability for student learning. My study focuses on the beliefs of teachers at the nexus of change to teacher evaluation policy in their districts. Using data from the Measures of Effective Teaching Project and a sample of 696 teachers, this project explores teachers’ beliefs about evaluation and related practices, and examines the relationships between teacher beliefs and measures of teacher quality. Findings suggest that teacher beliefs vary based on teacher-, classroom- and school-level factors. Results about the links between teacher beliefs and measures of teacher quality are inconclusive, though the current analyses do reveal several interesting patterns that are promising for further exploration in future research.

This research proposes to identify the range of knowledge and attitudes among kindergarten teachers toward childrens' sexual behaviors. The following behaviors are addressed: 1. Masturbation 2. Heterosexual play 3. Homosexual play 4. Questions related to sexuality. Specifically, the study is developed through the examination of the following eight sub-problems: (1) The first sub-problem is to determine the frequency with which teachers observe these specified behaviors; (2) the second sub-problem is to determine if teachers consider these specified behaviors to be normal expressions of child development, non-normal expressions of child developments, or if they don't know how to consider them; (3) the third sub-problem is to determine if teachers consider these specified behaviors to be sexual, non-sexual, or if they don't know how to consider them; (4) the fourth sub-problem is to determine whether teachers respond to these specified behaviors by suppressing them, ignoring them, or discussing them with the class; (5) the fifth sub-problem is to determine if years of experience in teaching at a kindergarten level is related to the frequency with which teachers observe these specified behaviors; (6) the sixth sub-problem is to determine if years of experience in teaching at a kindergarten level is related to whether teachers consider these specified behaviors as sexual, nonsexual, or to their not knowing how to consider them; and finally, (8) the eighth sub-problem is to determine if years of experience in teaching at a kindergarten level is related to whether teachers' response to these specified behaviors is suppressing them, ignoring them, or discussing them with the class. The present study is limited to kindergarten teachers only, as well as to four districts within the San Joaquin Valley area: Lodi Unified School District, Stockton Unified School District; Lincoln Unified School District; and the Manteca Unified School District. The study is also limited in representativeness, since participation was voluntary. Results will not include generalizations; only the data is described.

This study explores Swedish English language teacher’s (ELT’s) attitudes towards EE, their reasons for or against its inclusion in their classrooms, and how these views affect their planning, instruction and assessment. Themes for investigation are established through thorough review of literature in the field in a Swedish context and explored through thematic analysis of interviews and a survey study. The ELTs in this study view EE as a positive contribution to students’ language development and a good source of authentic materials. Inclusion of EE is seen as a way to increase student engagement. However the causal relationship between EE and language proficiency is questioned. EE and ELTs’ attitudes towards it can be clearly seen to affect lesson planning, classroom activities and assessment. Inclusion of students’ EE is used by some ELTs as a tool to bridge differences caused by heterogenous levels of proficiency and authenticity gaps. Lastly, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) teachers viewed inclusion of EE as a critical aspect in their instruction. Municipal teachers saw inclusion of EE primarily as a method to increase student engagement.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) in the Department of Psychology University of Zululand, 2002. / To provide equal access to education, it is required that children be placed in the least restrictive environment that will promote their academic and social development. Schools are therefore integrating learners with special education needs (LSEN) from segregated special education settings into mainstream schools. Educators play a crucial role in the integration process, thus knowledge of their attitudes is important. The study focuses on the attitudes of educators towards LSEN and the attitudes of educators towards the integration of LSEN into mainstream schools. A study of the literature was undertaken and guided by those insights a questionnaire was drawn up. This was distributed to educators and the information was statistically analyzed and presented. The questionnaire consisted of scales that measured attitudes. The relationship of educator attitudes to such educator variables as age, gender and experience in education was examined. The study revealed that educators hold favourable attitudes to both LSEN and the integration of LSEN into the mainstream. It was also found that male educators hold more favourable attitudes than female educators. Educator variables, age and number of years teaching experience were found to not significantly effect attitudes. Results from this study will enable programmes and policy implementation and development concerning the integration process of LSEN into the mainstream environment.

Submitted in fulfillment for the Degree Doctor of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand. = Afr: Proefskrif voorgele ter nakoming van die Vereistes vir die Graad Doctor Educationis in die Departement Opvoedkundlge Sielkunde van die Fakulteit Opvoedkunde aan die Universiteit van Zoeloeland, 1994. / Eng = The aim of this study was to determine whether white teachers maintain certain perceptions regarding the black teacher's occupational world as life-world. From the literature study it became clear that the implementation of the policy of separate development caused black and white teachers to exercise their professions separately and therefore had little or no opportunity for professional contact. Separate subsystems of education, each with it's own standard, caused black and white teachers to form different perceptions of one another's occupational worlds. Resistance to the policy of separate development influenced the education system and led to the crisis in black education. Education became the battlefield of political ideologies. This crisis culminated in the Soweto uprisings of 1976. Both pupils and teachers took to unacceptable behaviour such as stay-aways, strikes, and boycotts in order to accomplish certain political goals. In order to determine white teachers perceptions of the black teachers occupational world, an empirical study was undertaken. The content of the self structured questionnaire dealt with certain relevant aspects of the teachers occupational world. From this research it became clear that white teachers are of the opinion that the black teacher's training is not always of a high professional standard and that black teachers often act in an unprofessional manner. Results from the empirical research indicated that white teachers have a very limited knowledge of the black teacher's occupational world as life-world. As a result of the findings of this research certain recommendations were made: * A Council for Teachers must be established. * All teachers must be compelled to register with the recommended Council. * All curricula for both the training of student teachers and permanentteachers who wish to improve their qualifications, must be accredited with the Council for Teachers. * All teachers must undergo a period of internship. * All teachers must be professionally equipped for a new education dispensation. With this research an effort was made to establish certain recommendations in order to improve the relationship between black and white teachers in a new educational dispensation. It is trusted that this study on teacher perceptions will eventually lead to a better quality of education for all the children of South Africa. Afr =Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel of wit onderwysers sekere persepsies rakende die beroepswereld as leefwereld van swart onderwysers huldig. Uit die Iiteratuurstudie het dit geblyk dat die implementering van die beleid van afsonderlike ontwikkeling daartoe gelei dat swart en wit onderwysers hulle professies apart moes beoefen en gevolglik min geleentheid tot professionele kontak gehad het. Afsonderlike substelsels vir onderwys, elk met eiesoortige standaarde het veroorsaak dat wit en swart onderwysers sekere persepsies van mekaar se beroepswerelde gevorm het. Verset teen die beleid van afsonderJike ontwikkeling wat na die onderwys oorgespoel het, het swart onderwys in 'n krisis gedompel. Onderwys het die politieke slagveld van ideologiese doelwitte geword. Hierdie krisis het in die Soweto-opstande van 1976 gekulmineer. Nie net het leerlinge hulle aan onaanvaarbare gedrag begin skuldig maak nie, maar onderwysers het hulle ook al hoe meer tot onprofessionele gedrag 5005 wegbly-aksies, stakings en boikotte gewend ten einde sekere doelwitte te bereik. Ten einde die aard van die wit onderwysers se persepsie van die swart onderwyser se beroepswereld te bepaal, is 'n empiriese ondersoek deur middel van 'n selfgestruktureerde vraelys onderneem. Die inhoud van die vraelys het gehandel oar sekere aspekte van die onderwyser se beroepswereld. Uit die ondersoek het dit geblyk dat die wit onderwyser van mening is dat swart onderwysopleiding nie van hoogstaande professionele gehalte is nie en dat swart onderwysers hulle dikwels aan onprofessionele gedrag skuldig maak. By die verwerking van die statistiese data het dit geblyk dat wit onderwysers 'n beperkte kennis en insig rakende die swart onderwyser se beroepswereld as leefwereld het. Op grand van die bevindinge van die ondersoek word die volgende aanbevelings gemaak: * * * Oat die daarstelling van 'n Raad vir Onderwysers oorweeg sal word. Oat daar van alle onderwysers in die toekoms verwag sal word om by 'n Raad vir Onderwysers te registreer. Oat alle kurrikula vir die opleiding van onderwysers by die Raad vir Onderwysers geakkrediteer sal word. Met hierdie navorsing is daar gepoog om aanbevelings te maak wat die verhouding tussen wit en swart onderwysers in 'n nuwe onderwysbedeling sal verbeter. Die hoop word uitgespreek dat die verbetering van die swart onderwyser se kwalifikasies sy professionele gedrag sal bevorder en uiteindelik tot 'n beter gehalte onderwys vir al die kinders van Suid-Afrika mag lei.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment or partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, 2003. / The present investigation had three objectives. The first aim was to examine educators' attitudes towards inclusive education. The second aim was to determine the extent to which educators were influenced by factors such as qualifications, age, gender, phase, experience, and class size. The third aim was to find out whether educators who have contact with special education personnel, hold positive attitudes towards inclusive education. The questionnaire was administered to groups of black and white educators teaching in mainstream settings, a remedial centre and in a pilot school for inclusive education in KwaZulu-Natal. Fifty-eight percent of the educators were found to have negative attitudes towards inclusive education, whereas forty-two percent displayed a positive attitude towards inclusive education. Results also indicated that the variables of age, gender, qualification, experience, grade and class-size have an influence on educators' attitudes towards inclusive education. The results furthermore show that fifty-nine percent of educators did not have contact with special education personnel and that the majority of this group hold negative attitudes towards inclusive education. Forty-one percent of educators had contact with special education personnel and the majority of this group had positive attitudes towards inclusive education. Therefore, it is concluded that educators' contact with special education personnel influenced their attitudes towards inclusion of disabled learners in mainstream settings.

Current jobs in a global economy require more complex cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, cooperation, creativity, and collaboration, in addition to content knowledge. To address these areas, researchers have suggested the use of a 'makerspace' in schools. As with many other establishments, my school remodeled the primary school to create a makerspace for developing these skills. What impact might a makerspace -- a physical as well as a curricular change -- have on teachers' individual and collaborative learning? The purpose of this case study was to describe how the makerspace concept and changes to classroom or instructional space influence teachers' beliefs and practices as they develop the curriculum, follow the existing curriculum, revise ideas, and share knowledge with others. Our school branded the newest structural change 'Innovation Alley'. Under the leadership of the School Division Head, the concept of Innovation Alley was embedded in an effort to emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (STEAM) and the Library, and combine them for cross-curricular purposes. Drawing on field observations, interviews, and analysis of artifacts, videos, and other documents, I worked with and interviewed four of my colleagues to describe features of the emerging classroom or instructional spaces to consider how we developed our practice in this environment. I found that teachers placed high value on community, administrative, peer support, and shared knowledge-building in mitigating the stressors related to the innovation. There also appears to be a relationship between teachers' understanding of the makerspace development and their sense of control. When participants expressed interest in embracing the makerspace, they also indicated that they understood what they were doing. When they expressed a sense of loss of control or stress, they would often refer to using more traditional methods of teaching.