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The author of the book Starminster explains that the idea for the aerial city in the story came to her while she was at the Shard in London. She mentions that her favorite character to write is Mason because he shares her sense of humor, but she feels a strong connection to Astrid, who reflects her own vulnerabilities and desire to belong. The author prefers to write in coffee shops because the background noise helps her focus. She also shares a childhood memory of playing near a forest in Belfast and looking for fairies. Finally, she expresses her wish for peace, joy, and hope in the world, particularly for children. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Although schools across the United States are becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse, many teachers remain underprepared to work with students classified as English learners (ELs), especially at the secondary level. Acknowledging the importance of developing systems of support for teachers of ELs, this paper examines the district- and school-level factors shaping secondary teachers' access to EL-focused professional learning in one large urban school district. Design/methodology/approach: To examine teachers' access to EL-focused professional learning, the authors draw on 49 in-depth interviews with district leaders and staff from nine secondary schools. Data analysis was guided by a structure, culture and agency theoretical framework. Findings: Findings revealed that decreased structural support, in terms of both fiscal and human resources, constrained teachers' access to EL-related professional learning. Further, the district culture was characterized by limited understanding of ELs' backgrounds and assets. While some school leaders exercised agency to bolster EL-focused professional learning for teachers, such supports were rare. Practical implications: Findings help to contextualize secondary teachers' feelings of unpreparedness to serve ELs, illuminating several factors that district and school leaders should attend to in order to bolster the development of professional capital for teachers of ELs at the secondary level. Originality/value: While prior research outlines the importance of designing systems of support for EL-focused professional learning, this study highlights specific structural and cultural factors shaping such systems.

Purpose: In this commentary, the authors consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted immigrant education and professional communities in schools, discussing the implications of these shifts for school leaders in the United States. Design/methodology/approach: After providing an overview of relevant issues, the authors explore four specific areas for leaders to reflect on in their work. Findings: The pandemic presents so many challenges to immigrant communities and educators. The reshaping of professional community in schools can help ameliorate these issues. Originality/value: Our commentary contributes some initial insights to the evolving equity issues emerging in the midst of pandemic.

ABSTRACTThe United States is facing a bilingual teacher shortage, a fact that is particularly troubling as the emergent bilingual population continues to grow nationwide. Prior research suggests that the shortage of bilingual teachers may affect the quality of instruction emergent bilinguals receive, yet little is known about the potential effects of this shortage on schools more broadly. In this article, we draw on the concept of teacher leadership to explore whether and how bilingual teachers contribute outside the classroom. Our mixed methods approach drew on surveys and interviews with elementary teachers in eight school districts across three states and identified the ways in which bilingual teachers acted as informal teacher-leaders who supported colleagues’ professional development and parent engagement. Findings have important policy implications for policy in terms of supporting bilingual teachers’ recruitment and retention, as well as for research on bilingual teacher leadership.

Background Research over the past two decades documents how social capital, or the resources attained through social relationships, is associated with a range of outcomes at both the individual and organizational levels. Yet few, if any, studies explore the relationship between social capital and teaching self-efficacy. Given that teaching self-efficacy is a significant predictor of instructional effectiveness, identifying the kinds of social interactions that facilitate positive teaching self-efficacy can offer important information with respect to how schools and school systems can bolster teachers’ perceived competence and thus their instructional capacity.Objective This study integrates social capital and social cognitive theories to frame an investigation of the social sources that contribute to teachers’ self-efficacy over time. Specifically, we explore how social interactions that vary in their relationship with and proximity to instruction influence teachers’ developing self-efficacy.Research Design We analyzed self-report survey data from 345 teachers in the same district over 4 years. These data captured various social sources of teaching self-efficacy, including indicators of verbal persuasion and vicarious experiences, and allowed us to account for contextual variables found to influence teachers’ sense of mastery. We used the multilevel model for change framework to explore associations between these types of social interactions and teacher self-efficacy over time.Findings Results suggest that interactions firmly rooted in actual teaching practice—namely, those focused on a specific instructional episode (i.e., feedback about a class) or on particular teaching practices (i.e., discussions about specific teaching resources and artifacts)—were associated with higher reports of teaching self-efficacy over time. On the other hand, interactions that reflected more general or less targeted interactions about teaching (i.e., being sought out for general instructional advice or observing someone else teach) were not.Conclusions To further the capacity of individual teachers, school and system leaders should invest in supporting social interactions among teachers that afford direct and targeted opportunities to learn about particular instructional practices and to discuss specific teaching episodes. Interactions less proximal to classroom practice may be ineffective for promoting individual teachers’ feelings of teaching competence.

The 2015 federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) affords states flexibility in adopting accountability measures that assess opportunity to learn, and requires that state and district leaders use evidence-based interventions to address any inequities. For English learners (ELs) at the secondary level, one important measure of opportunity to learn is access to and completion of rigorous, college preparatory coursework. Drawing from ESSA's definition of “evidence-based,” which aligns closely with requirements for EL programs outlined by Castañeda, we propose course taking as a valid and reliable statewide indicator of student success, and offer recommendations for local interventions that would support secondary ELs’ opportunity to learn

The article presents a reprint of the article "Training the Next teachers for America: A Proposal for Reconceptualizing TFA," by Megan Hopkins, which appeared in the June 2008 issue of "Phi Delta Kappan." The article discusses changing requirements of the Teach for America (TFA) teacher organization to require members to commit to three years of teaching service, with the first year allocated to training. An incentive program for teachers who serve beyond their required period is recommended.

This article presents suggestions for improving the Teach for America (TFA) program. The author draws on her experience as a TFA corps member, discusses how she felt under prepared her first year teaching and presents strategies that she feels could improve the experience of corps members and increase their level of retention. Some of the suggestions include extending the TFA commitment to three years, changing the first year of teaching to a training year where corps members complete classroom training and coursework towards certification and offer incentives designed to keep corps members teaching after they have met their minimum commitment.

This article discusses the importance of teacher quality in improving student achievement. The author believes that this is most important in low-income communities of color where students are already at a disadvantage to middle-class white communities. The author examines how Teach for America is addressing this problem by exposing individuals to the problems that urban schools face and building a work force of inspired educators who are motivated to make a difference in these schools. The author offers suggestions on how to maintain this work force and calls for greater research on the impact that teacher preparation has on performance.