Teachers, Training of

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.

Multicultural education has been mandated in the state of Florida as part of State
Mandate 1003.42. In order for this mandate to be implemented, it is necessary for
teachers to know what effective multicultural education is and how it is to be
implemented. This study was designed to find out what English teachers know about the state mandate and multicultural education and how they use multicultural education in their classrooms. High school English teachers in one South Florida school district
participated in an online survey, and 11 of those respondents also participated in a
follow-up personal interview. According to multiple scholars, there are three categories
for multicultural education: Recognition, Transformation, and Action, with Recognition
serving to recognize and respect other cultures without any change to the mainstream
curriculum and instruction, Transformation serving to transform the curriculum and
instruction to reflect students and their various cultures while introducing them to others and meeting the various instructional needs of the students, and Action motivating students to take action to bring about social justice. Overall, high school English teachers’ understanding of effective multicultural education is on the Transformation level. The survey found that high school English teachers use multicultural education on the Action level; however, the follow-up interviews did not support that finding. Also based on the interviews, teachers are willing and eager to learn more and would like the district to implement their suggestions to help with their learning.

This mixed methods study investigated second through fifth grade teachers’
perceptions of Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre (CBRT) as a relevant approach for
teaching English Language Learners (ELLs). Quantitative survey data were collected
from 18 teachers who worked at the school with the largest population of ELLs in a large South Florida school district. The surveys investigated teachers’ current use of ESOL instructional strategies prior to participating in a CBRT professional development session as well as their ability to identify ESOL instructional strategies embedded within the approach after professional development and classroom implementation. Qualitative data were collected in the form of interviews and discussion board transcripts from eight
participants, who were also members of a school-based Readers Theatre Professional
Learning Community (PLC). Transcripts were used to investigate how participants
implemented CBRT in their classrooms as well as how they described their identification
and application of ESOL instructional strategies during implementation. The impact of PLC participation on CBRT implementation and identification of ESOL instructional
strategies was also investigated. The findings indicated that participants recognized various ESOL instructional strategies embedded in the CBRT approach. In addition, data indicated that participants viewed CBRT as an effective means for delivering various ESOL instructional strategies. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis led to similar conclusions and revealed that CBRT incorporates various ESOL instructional strategies that are recognized as effective for teaching ELLs. Teachers reported using CBRT at various points during instructional units and across all content areas. Implications and suggestions for future research are offered for the instruction of ELLs, the benefits of CBRT and other similar approaches, the design of school-based professional development, and the infusion of ESOL instructional strategies within teacher education and inservice professional learning experiences.

With more and more focus on accountability, algebra achievement has become a major focus of math curriculum developers. In many states, students are expected to pass standardized Algebra achievement tests in order to satisfy graduation requirements. The purpose of this study was to identify teacher qualities and teaching qualities linked to teacher effectiveness in 7th-grade Algebra I Honors. This study examined two aspects of teachers, teacher quality and teaching quality. Teacher quality refers to the characteristics that teachers possess and teaching quality refers to what teachers do in the classroom to foster student learning. For this study, teacher quality included teacher professional preparation characteristics and teacher knowledge. Also, aspects of teaching quality that promote conceptual understanding in Algebra were examined. The difference between more and less effective teachers in this study lies in teaching quality, what teachers do in the classroom, as opposed to teacher quality, what those teachers bring with them to the classroom. The findings of this study indicate that elements of teaching quality are more indicative of teacher effectiveness than elements of teacher quality among teachers in the study. Although there was some evidence of a relationship between elements of teacher quality and teacher effectiveness, there were clear differences in teaching quality among more effective and less effective teachers in this study.

Drawing on the principles of critical multicultural education and teacher learning, this mixed methods study examined the contributions of a professional development program (the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Program - HEP) to teacher's knowledge, attitudes, and practices, and the role of contextual factors such as school support, HEP support, years of teaching experience, and grade levels in mediating teachers' practices concerning Holocaust and human rights education...The findings revealed that from the participants' perspectives, the HEP contributed to their content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, attitudes, and classroom practices. ... Participants also reported learning about age appropriate curriculum resources and about useful pedagogical approaches such as personalization, discussions, and analysis. The participants reported developing a sense of efficacy and positive attitudes towards Holocaust and human rights education, and also designing curriculum with integration of diverse perspectives and various instructional strategies. Regression analysis did not reveal any significant variance in teachers' practices based on the above mentioned contextual factors ; however, the interview data revealed the HEP's collaboration after professional development, school and community support, and teachers' own dispositions toward Holocaust and human rights education as additional contextual factors that influences teachers' practices.

The purpose of this multi-case study was to identify the influence of professional development experiences on the changing reading practices of third-grade teachers in low-performing schools. Schools were chosen to participate based upon a steady increase in reading achievement scores despite failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and being placed within the Corrective Action Phase of No Child Left Behind. Six teachers from 4 schools were chosen as participants based on the changing reading practices they reported on an initial survey of 13 teachers. Interviews, observations, focus groups, and collection of archival data was completed over the course of 5 months in order to determine the influence of professional development on their reading practices. It was determined that teacher change following professional development is heavily influenced by the domain of power the directive or development is coming from. A continuum was developed to illustrate the relationship between these varying domains of power and their influence on changes made within reading practice. The changes were categorized as tending toward self-propelled or compelled changes. Teachers within this study reported higher levels of change when they were personally vested in professional development experiences and when those experiences met the immediate needs of their own personal growth or the growth of the students in their classroom.