Effective teaching

For decades, educational leadership researchers have focused on school leadership behaviors, competencies, and skills that impact student outcomes measured by the students’ performance on standardized tests. This practice has narrowed the focus for how the field approaches teaching and learning and the evaluation models that measure school, teacher, leader, and student academic performance. To examine leadership and teaching and learning that support the development of the whole child and not just their performance on exams, this quantitative study set out to examine: Is there a relationship between a school leadership teams’ prioritization of SEL, their instructional management practice, and the teachers’ use of SEL pedagogy in the classroom?
To examine the research question, a set of five sub-research questions were developed to organize and guide this work. Interest to participate in this study was gained by aligning the research to the district’s strategic plan. The sample included 107 teacher participants drawn from five participant public elementary schools in a large diverse urban school district. Data applied in the analysis were collected through the application of three instruments. Two of the instruments were developed and pilot tested as part of this research.
The results of this research indicate that despite the ample evidence that shows instructional management having a positive impact on student learning, its effect on the pedagogies examined that support the development of social and emotional competence was limited. The greatest contribution of this study was the development of a valid and reliable tool to evaluate ten social and emotional learning teacher/pedagogical practices.

Engagement with educational instruction and related materials is an important part of learning and contributes to test performance. There are various measures of engagement including self-reports, observations, pupil diameter, and posture. With the challenges associated with obtaining accurate engagement levels, such as difficulties with measuring variations in engagement, the present study used a novel approach to predict engagement from posture by using deep learning. Deep learning was used to analyze a labeled outline of the participants and extract key points that are expected to predict engagement. In the first experiment two short lectures were presented and participants were tested on a lecture to motivate engagement. The next experiment had videos that varied in interest to understand whether a more interesting presentation engages participants more, therefore helping participants achieve higher comprehension scores. In a third experiment, one video was presented to attempt to use posture to predict comprehension rather than engagement. The fourth experiment had videos that varied in level of difficulty to determine whether a challenging topic versus an easier topic affects engagement. T-tests revealed that the more interesting Ted Talk was rated as more engaging, and for the fourth study, the more difficult video was rated as more engaging. Comparing average pupil sizes did not reveal significant differences that would relate to differences in the engagement scores, and average pupil dilation did not correlate with engagement. Analyzing posture through deep learning resulted in three accurate predictive models and a way to predict comprehension. Since engagement relates to learning, researchers and educators can benefit from accurate engagement measures.

The current qualitative study focused on understanding the process of learning to
teach. Using interviews of teacher educators, the study explored the importance of a set
of teaching activities developed as part of the Teacher Self Efficacy Survey (Tschannen-
Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) as well as the inclusion of instructional and assessment
strategies for the teaching activities and the quality of beginning teacher performance of
the activities.
Data were collected from interviews of 15 teacher educators. A process of open,
axial, and substantive coding was applied to the data to inductively identify and
categorize data relevant to the purpose of the study and to allow comparisons among and
between categories.
Findings suggested that teaching activities are critically important to and a
comprehensive description of effective teaching, and that beginning teachers struggle with differentiation and applying their learning to their practice. Further, findings
suggested that the source of beginning teacher struggles was found within the teacher
education program, within school contexts, and between the two institutions. In addition,
findings suggested that beginning teachers perform the student engagement activities and
those related to instructional strategies more proficiently than classroom management
activities, and that all three teaching activity categories were included in the curriculum,
but to different degrees and not all as part of curriculum design. A variety of pedagogies
were used to prepare preservice teachers; however, there was no reported knowledge of
assessment instruments used to measure preservice teachers’ readiness for teaching and
to obtain data on the performance of their graduates. Lastly, this study revealed that
teacher education program leaders were reluctant to participate in a study that sought to
draw direct connections between the skills taught in the program and how well beginning
teachers perform them.
Based on the findings, the researcher recommends further studies to determine the
viability of the teaching activities as a comprehensive and accurate definition of effective
teaching. Further the researcher recommends that teacher education programs and school
districts adopt the teaching activities as a consistent framework for providing preservice
education, for setting school district expectations, and for conducting teacher evaluations.

This study explored the factors expert teachers reported as influences in the
development and sustainment of their expertise as well as those that challenge it. Through
one-on-one interviews with 15 expert teachers, the generated data were scrutinized using
a grounded theory approach. The analysis protocol followed a multi-step process of three
stages – exploration, amalgamation, and conceptualization. In each of those stages, the
data were examined using a cyclical and recursive process of investigation-interpretationintegration-
illustration. By the completion of the conceptualization stage, a theory was
developed to describe the interdependence of the four influential factors that shape and
sustain teacher expertise.
Among the findings, the study revealed that both endogenous and exogenous
elements are necessary to develop and sustain teacher expertise. The endogenous factors
are more intrinsic and include energy (a teacher’s drive, commitment, and ability to extend past her/his comfort zone) and examination (reflection and goal-setting), while the
exogenous factors are more environmental and include encouragement (the succor a
teacher receives through collaboration and school leadership) and erudition (professional
learning that influences a teacher’s knowledge and skills).
The theory proposes that the evolution of expertise is neither chronological nor
linear; rather, each of the four factors plays an integral role and is interconnected and
synergistic with the others. In addition, when one or more influences is lacking or is
compromised, expertise is impeded. Impedances represent the challenges the participants
reported as their expertise evolved. These challenges interfere with their energy,
examination, encouragement, or erudition and, ultimately, their expertise. Furthermore, a
diagram depicting a quaternary gear system was created to illustrate teacher expertise in
motion. This is especially relevant at a time when teacher quality is the prominent
discourse in the field and at the forefront of educational policy. Understanding the
interdependent factors that shape and sustain teacher expertise can inform pre-service
teachers, developing and expert teachers, educational leaders, and decision-makers on the
nuances of teacher expertise as a way to optimize teacher growth and maximize student
success.

This study problematizes teacher education, and its accreditation guidelines as set
forth by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. The analysis herein
conceptualizes teacher education as contextually contingent on sociocultural
metanarratives, as functioning paradigmatically through consensus and gatekeeping
mechanisms, and as a structure existing within a matrix of discipline and surveillance that
is designed to perpetuate status quo power dynamics. This conceptualization grounds
dominant teacher education modalities within a specific meta-theory orientation.
Through this analysis, the author also explores an alternative conceptualization of
teacher education that appeals to the educative power of contextual awareness,
ontological sensitivity, and democratically recursive pedagogical and relational
processes. Such a conceptualization reflects an alternative meta-theory orientation. For the purposes of this analysis, the author employed textual analysis of sampled
website literature from Teacher Education Programs in six geographic regions within the
United States. This textual analysis was grounded in the aforementioned
conceptualizations and was intended to reveal meta-theory orientations as expressed in a
program’s official text.

The purpose of this research study was to determine K-12 school leaders' concepts of ability and technology readiness. The Theories of Intelligence Scale (TIS) was used to analyze concepts of ability and the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) 2.0 was used to analyze the technology readiness of K-12 school leaders. Data from the two instruments were used to determine if there was any relationship between K-12 school leaders' concept of ability and technology readiness. This analysis filled a blank spot in the research contributing to the literature on leadership, Mindset Theory (Dweck, 2006; Dweck, Chiu, & Hong, 1995), and Technology Readiness (Lin & Hsieh, 2012; Parasuraman, 2000). Furthermore it helped to determine the state of K-12 school leaders' status as 21st century leaders. The sample consisted of the school leaders of School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC). This included 158 principals from 104 elementary, 31 middle, and 23 high schools. The researcher was a school district employee and therefore had access to the participants. Each of the four null hypotheses were rejected as SDPBC school leaders scored significantly higher on the TIS (p < .05) and TRI 2.0 (p < .01), there was a significant (p < .0125) positive relationship between TIS and the TRI 2.0, and that relationship was affected (p < .05) by gender, race, and experience.

The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers' (PSTs) perceptions regarding their knowledge of the English as a Second Language (ESOL) domains as suggested in the Florida Teacher Standards for English as a Second Language Endorsement (FTSEE), their beliefs regarding the types of assessments and assignments that provided them with the best method of understanding the ESOL domains, and other factors they perceived as influencing their understanding. This mixed methods study collected both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) data. Study participants were elementary education majors enrolled in an ESOL infused program model. Findings from the study indicated that PSTs had an overall understanding of the ESOL domains and were prepared to incorporate a wide variety of instructional strategies and methods into their lesson plans. While culturally competent, they had not yet developed the understanding of how to take an advocacy approach to empower their students in both the school and community. While some PSTs demonstrated a basic understanding of the components of oral language and literacy development in ELLs, many had not yet obtained an in-depth understanding of the specific language thresholds at each language proficiency level nor understanding of the grammatical and linguistic complexities of spoken and written English. These findings imply that further development is needed so that PSTs are better prepared in the following competencies: the ability to write language objectives across the content areas based on the output of oral and written language; the ability to select the appropriate instructional strategies, curriculum, and materials based on language proficiency levels; and the ability to interpret and make informed decisions based on ELLs' assessment results. PSTs valued assignments and activities that allowed them to integrate their own knowledge base into scenarios that might actually occur when they become teachers, or reflected scenarios encountered in teaching situations. They valued opportunities to observe and work with ELLs in the field and desired more opportunities to work with a larger variety of language proficiency levels and ages. Outside influences such as jobs, own school experiences, knowledge of another language, and societal interactions also contributed to their ESOL knowledge.

This qualitative research study explored the influence of collaborative analysis of student work (CASW) as professional development on teacher practice, specifically during lessons and on written teacher feedback on student work. Additionally, teachers' perceptions about the influence of CASW sessions and three 2-week instructional cycles on student writing, including the professional development sessions, lessons, and teacher written feedback, were investigated. Qualitative data were collected including teacher interviews, CASW observations, classroom observations, and document analysis. Findings indicated that teachers felt that CASW influenced their increased awareness of teaching and student learning, and implications for future teaching for the whole group as well as ideas for next steps for individual students emerged. Teachers supported CASW being job-embedded and practical to daily work; they voiced concerns over the time and scheduling facilitating the professional development required. Teachers responded that they felt that CASW helped them question their assessment of student writing, consistency within and across grade levels and subjects, and the appropriate level of difficulty of their curriculum. Teachers expressed their desire to be able to meet with students more regularly to go over their teacher written feedback and felt that CASW may possibly influence student work over time. Two teachers felt that the CASW professional development could have influenced their written feedback; four teachers felt that it did not. Implications for professional development, public policy, and further research are given.

This quantitative study examined secondary schools across a south Florida school
district to determine the relationship between school characteristics and measures of
teacher quality with the aim of ascertaining the equitable distribution of the educational
resource, teacher quality. Data regarding student population, staff climate survey
responses, school points, and measures of teacher quality were requested from the school
district; however, the requested teacher quality data was not available from the district.
The researcher accessed publicly available teacher quality data from the Florida
Department of Education regarding advanced degree completion, out-of-field teachers,
and highly qualified teachers to serve as measures of teacher quality at secondary
schools.
Data were collected and analyzed using quantitative methods for 119 schools that
served as the unit of analysis. Using multiple regressions, the study found a significant negative relationship between the percentage of students participating in the free and
reduced-price lunch program and the percentage of teachers who possessed an advanced
degree. The study also found a significant positive relationship between the percentages
of Black students, English language learners, students with disabilities, students
participating in the free and reduced-price lunch program and the percentage of out-offield
teachers. Additionally, the study found a significant positive relationship between
the percentages of Hispanic students, students with disabilities, students participating in
the free and reduced-price lunch program, and the percentage of not highly qualified
teachers at schools. The investigation also discovered predictive relationships between
some of these school characteristics and the measures of teacher quality examined in the
study.
All of the findings provided evidence of structural inequality regarding the
distribution of teacher quality and were analyzed by the study’s theoretical framework,
which drew on critical race theory, critical multiculturalism, and other critical studies.
These works underscore the inequitable distribution of teacher quality. Implications and
suggestions for future research are offered for further examination of the equitable
distribution of teacher quality and the role of policy to inform the equitable distribution of
teacher quality across schools in order to address the most urgent problem facing U.S.
education: the unequal distribution of quality teachers.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine “pockets of success”
through the voices of participant stakeholders in low socio-economic status urban high
schools and communities to identify opportunities and structures that can improve postsecondary outcomes for students. Examining those pockets of success to rise above the dynamics that obstruct pathways to success, and identifying opportunities for students to transcend their social, economic, and human condition, are the impetuses for the study. The study design is grounded in portraiture, created by Lawrence-Lightfoot and Hoffman-Davis (1997), to detail the intricate dynamics and relationships that exist in high schools. Portraiture steps outside of the traditional boundaries of quantitative and qualitative research to converge narrative analysis with public discourse in a search for authenticity. Identifying what the participants value, how they create and promote opportunities for students, the school’s role in rebuilding the surrounding community, and the community’s priority for graduates, provided the groundwork. The review of the literature reconstructs the term “opportunity” in the context of the urban high school, aligning it with the moral purposes of education. It traces the history of educational and social justice barriers for minority students, outlines the impact of leadership decision-making on the evolution of the urban high school, and addresses increasing the capacity of schools to create opportunities for students to succeed. Participants revealed the foundations for success, challenges and goals toward success, conduits to facilitate that success, and collaborations required to build an agenda to couple school-based stakeholders, civic groups, and national organizations to the creation of a national platform to improve outcomes for urban public high school students in disenfranchised communities.