At the center of teacher preparation is the student teaching placement experience. However, research on student teacher placements often overlooks the nuanced perceptions and attitudes of student teachers (STs). These factors significantly influence educator outcomes and programmatic success. This research delves into the attitudes and perceptions…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the required music performance assessment (MPA) repertoire lists performed by high school and middle school choral and band programs in the state of North Carolina. The authors analyzed the number of pieces, composers, and ethnic and gender representations on the state MPA band and choral lists. In…

Teacher evaluations are routinely conducted across the United States for licensure and professional development supports. However, there is limited research on the interrater reliability of these evaluation assessment systems, despite federal recommendations (Graham et al., 2012). This research explores the systematic approach to interrater…

The purpose of this report is to provide readers with a comparative analysis of the Massachusetts workforce "system" structures and performance reporting processes compared to other states. Though the federal workforce development system is often examined in its entirety and individual state systems are at times examined independently,…

In the present study, we examine whether characteristics of student teaching sites and cooperating teachers predict teacher candidates' edTPA scores. Using data from North Carolina, we find that candidates earn higher edTPA scores if they student-taught in a high value-added school and with a cooperating teacher earning higher evaluation ratings.…

This paper first seeks to identify cultural factors of faculty, staff, and students within Higher Education Intuitions (HEI) and then understand how those factors affect the individual as well as the overall larger population of all studied groups to create cultures of quality excellence. Secondary data collected from government databases was used…

This comparative case study examined how performance funding programs shape the faculty experiences at two North Carolina Community Colleges. Using Principal-Agent Theory, Street-Level Bureaucracy, and Bottom-Up Policy Perspective as theoretical frameworks, six themes and four subthemes emerged from semi-structured interviews of twenty community…

Alternative preparation programs, which "provide alternatives to the traditional undergraduate program path to teacher certification" (Darling-Hammond et al., 2002, p. 287) existed in 40 states by 1993 (Wilson et al., 2001). Today, approximately one quarter of new teachers each year enter the profession through an alternative teacher…

During the last few years Educational Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) has increasingly become a hot issue in teacher education programs in the United States. edTPA has become so important for a teacher candidate because many states mandate that candidates pass the test with a state-designated score as a requirement for the initial teaching…

The study established the validity and reliability of a weighted individual performance-based assessment tool within the utility scope of middle school orchestral strings. The following research questions guided this study: 1. What specific string-playing behaviors and corresponding criteria validate a weighted individual performance-based…

Summative assessments measure students' mastery of grade-level academic standards and skills in specific content areas after learning. State summative assessment systems provide students and families, school and district leaders, and state policymakers with valuable data to help understand student progress and school quality. This Policy Guide…

Teacher candidates in North Carolina must earn a passing score on the edTPA assessment to get certified. The middle grades education program at Western Carolina University integrates aspects of the edTPA assessment throughout pre-student teaching coursework and field experiences to prepare candidates for this high-stakes assessment. Some of the…

Cherokee is an endangered Indigenous language. Revitalization efforts often include offering Cherokee language instruction, but these efforts have been hampered by a lack of qualified teachers. An initial licensure program was launched in fall 2019 aimed at supporting Cherokee language renewal via the preparation of teachers. While a step forward,…

This paper examines the perspectives of Jamaican teachers on performance-based evaluation as a mode of compensation for Jamaican teachers. The paper is written against the backdrop of continued unsatisfactory results of the Jamaican Education System. In 2015, having completed inspections of all 953 public schools, the National Education…

Forty-one states and 928 teacher preparation programs across the United States are using the Teaching Performance Assessment (edTPA) as an evaluation tool to determine teacher readiness and/or meet licensure requirements. Nationwide, pre-service special education teachers struggle to demonstrate proficiency in specific areas of the edTPA (i.e.,…