Dr. Elizabeth M Bemiss

Oftentimes, the transition to being a teacher educator may involve shifts in identities, responsibilities, and opportunities. We advance a model for inducting and retaining teacher educators into the higher education landscape. Drawing on the findings of a collaborative autoethnography, we share how a multi-institutional and varied positionality community of practice (CoP) is an approach that can support teacher educators with learning how to navigate the roles and responsibilities associated with teaching, researching, and serving in teacher preparation programs. We operationalize how this type of community of practice can be replicated. Keywords: teacher educator learning, communities of practice, induction, retention, higher education

This article delineates the success of a leadership plan that one middle school in Center Point, Alabama implemented as a response to a Comprehensive School Improvement (CSI) designation due to performing in the bottom 5% of all middle schools across the state. School leadership, in partnership with coaching from Studer Education, worked tirelessly to improve school culture and engage in continuous improvement to benefit student achievement. Prioritizing student-centered practices and learning progression allowed leaders to identify barriers to student progress and shifted the focus away from isolated performance. Drawing on three effective execution practices (individual accountability, reliability, and consistency) aided in the middle school's ability to utilize transparent data to implement strategic continuous improvement. Moreover, leadership partnered with the school community and launched mentoring programs designed to support students with varying social and academic needs. This school's commitment to continuous improvement speaks to the transformation the school achieved during and post-pandemic.

The Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts Committee convened virtually in March 2021 to deliberate and create a list of thirty books for readers in grades K-8. Comprised of seven members, the committee read over 538 titles with 2020 copyright dates appropriate for readers in grades K-8. We read books multiple times and learned from each other as we carefully considered the craft of each book. In order for a book to be selected to the list, each book must have an appealing format, be of enduring quality, and meet generally accepted criteria of quality for the genre in which they were written. These titles should either include explicit use of language, demonstrate a uniqueness in use of language, or invite child response or participation.

A longitudinal study was implemented in two children’s and young adult literature courses at different universities where teacher educators investigated pre- and in-service teachers’ engagement with graphic novel texts and potential for utilization of these texts in K-12 settings. Teacher educators utilized an action research methodology where they designed curriculum around ways to support pre- and in-service teachers’ engagement with graphic novels and their application in K-12 settings. Findings revealed shifts in perception among pre- and in-service teachers as well as shifts in implementation of graphic novels in K-12 classroom settings. Given their multimodality and diversity, graphic novels have the potential to provide readers with numerous layers of meaning making (Sipe, 2008). The authors provide implications for how teacher educators and K-12 teachers can play an essential role in utilizing this widely recognized literary medium for 21st century learners.

Given the scarcity of research on how teacher educators prepare teacher candidates to successfully bridge coursework and fieldwork, we conducted a case study of six literacy teacher educators to investigate how they described learning experiences designed to help teacher candidates navigate varied coursework and fieldwork. Teacher educators described intentionally creating learning experiences that connected coursework and fieldwork, but often lacked an explicit articulation of these connections to candidates. Few educators described learning experiences that engaged and supported candidates to critically examine encountered curricular contexts and then enact responsive literacy instruction using curricular materials from fieldwork.

This survey research broadly investigates how literacy instructors perceive and address curricular contexts candidates experience in fieldwork. Twenty-eight literacy teacher educators in 15 states indicated perceived high degrees of alignment between coursework and fieldwork contexts. Findings describe fieldwork context characteristics, perceived alignment, and support for navigating curricular contexts. While alignment across curricular contexts is a worthwhile goal, literacy teacher educators must look beyond the current literacy horizon and prepare candidates for what has yet to come in literacy instruction. Helping candidates interpret notions of effective practices across
contexts can contribute to their success as teachers.