This qualitative thematic analysis study examined the motivations of first-generation college graduate Hmong American students in their educational attainment. Currently, Hmong American students are facing cultural and institutional barriers which continue to impact access to and achievement in college. Although there is an educational disparity, for some within the Hmong American student community, there is resilience to overcome and graduate from institutions of higher education which is important to understand. Culturally Engaging Campus Environment Model underpinned the one-on-one in-depth interviews of purposively sampled first-generation college graduate Hmong American students who attended the University of California, Merced. The findings from the study highlighted ways family supports, role models, breaking culturally normed gender roles, Hmong Student Associations (HSAs), and intentional holistic campus supports are important motivational environmental factors in Hmong American students’ higher education journey.

This article explains a mixed methods study utilizing multiple cases in which answers to the question of how cognitive learning theory can influence instruction that maintains the central role that teachers have in the classroom, responding to students’ learning needs as they work on authentic tasks. The researcher investigated the responses of teachers to training around a model of instruction incorporating cognitive learning theory. What emerged from the inquiry was a model of instruction based on cognitive apprenticeship titled Cognitive Apprenticeship Learning Approach (CALA). This paper outlines the analysis of CALA based on the fidelity of teachers implementing carefully constructed instruction to apprentice students in writing based on teacher observations and data on student writing after attending targeted professional development. The data were collected from a group of 132 classroom teachers spanning the grades of transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. One consistent finding is that instruction based on a lesson design that focuses on cognitive apprenticeship increases students’ ability to write in the early grades. The cross-case analysis revealed that teachers wanted to collaborate with peers or a coach so that it would be easier to write the lessons, and they would know which lessons were stronger than others. The analysis also revealed that teachers felt the CALA training increased their ability to teach writing and that their students’ writing had improved overall.

Using an embedded quasi-experimental mixed-method approach, this exploratory study aimed to understand the benefits of mindfulness training for elementary school teachers and leaders in one rural school district. After the delivery of two 90-minute mindfulness professional developments with on-the-job practice of strategies over 2 weeks, quantitative statistical comparisons of the intervention and inactive control groups were made using survey results from the Mindfulness in Teaching Scale (Frank et al., 2016). Qualitative analyses used intervention participant journal entry responses along with one-on-one interviews. After analyses, the results suggest mindfulness training can benefit teachers, specifically in the use of intrapersonal mindfulness practices, reshaping daily interactions with students, and reducing stress.

Based on the reform movements over the past two decades, it is evident that while effective teachers are critical to student learning, not all teachers are coming to the profession highly qualified. Policy and research continue to highlight the need to reorganize and refocus teacher preparation programs to produce higher quality teachers ready to meet the demands of the classroom from day one of employment. This study focuses on the enhancement of traditional preparation programs in public Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) as this continues to be the context for which most teacher candidates come to the profession. Using a six-group, four measure mixed-methods design, the objective of the study is to determine the impact California Teaching Fellows Foundation (CTFF), a pre-service teaching and learning opportunity for future teacher candidates, has on developing higher caliber teachers prepared in a traditional University-based teacher preparation setting. Through the use of an online survey, interviews, and focus groups, the relationship of CTFF participation to teacher efficacy before, during, and after traditional preparation participation is examined and explored from the perspective of teacher and supervisor. Unexpected findings show that CTFF participation has a relationship to decreased Teacher Efficacy for teacher candidates and CTFF is not creating a significant pipeline to teaching as proposed, leading to questions for further study.

The annual assignment of elementary students from one classroom to the next is a ubiquitous cycle in schools. Since student class assignment has an effect on students' educational trajectory, understanding how placement procedures impact student equity is an important area of research with benefits for all stakeholders. In this action research project, survey data was collected to examine what student data points teachers found most meaningful as well as what elements participants considered the most effective and the least beneficial components of the previous piloted placement procedures at a central California elementary school. The findings of this research demonstrated that respondents valued intervention data, such as English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) levels or special education (SPED) status, English Language Arts (ELA)/Math achievement data, and behavior data. However, they also expressed hesitancy over certain narrative or subjective information. Respondents also reported that, while multi-grade level cooperation was a valuable component of the placement process, the procedures needed to be more clearly systematized. Findings suggest that by linking placement procedures to existing Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) structures, the placement process can more effectively address issues of student equity and achievement.