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This qualitative study aims to learn about the experiences of first year teachers as they rapidly transitioned to remote teaching during the global Covid-19 crisis in March 2020. Additionally, the murder of George Floyd shortly thereafter exacerbated racial turmoil, impacting communities, students and families simultaneously. As the shift was sudden and drastic, and the first year of teaching is already quite challenging with a large learning curve, we seek to highlight the experiences of beginning teachers during Covid-19, and specifically focus on their strengths, assets and resilience, adding to the literature on asset-based perspectives of beginning teachers. Using data from individual journals and focus groups involving 15 first year urban and suburban teachers, we assert that first year teachers were assets to their school communities due to their technological strengths and their equity-based teacher preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study focuses on elementary teacher candidates (TCs) at two United States university-based teacher preparation programs and their experiences with edTPA, a teacher performance assessment increasing in implementation nationwide. TCs from two public universities, in a state where edTPA bears a high-stakes connection to teaching licensure, were participants. Their perspectives of program supports that contributed to edTPA completion are emphasized. Findings suggest that particular supports within coursework and the student teaching practicum contributed to TCs' feelings of success regarding edTPA completion, while certain gaps were hindrances. Implications are applicable to teacher education programs when considering structures that may or may not be necessary for supporting TCs with edTPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2009, the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) has been rapidly implemented as a policy tool for strengthening teacher professionalization across the United States. However, its national assimilation has become a target for both praise and critique among teacher educators. In this article, we examine such diverse perspectives. Highlighting the sensemaking of administrators, faculty, staff, and teacher candidates (n = 75) across eight teacher preparation programs (TPPs) in two states, we examine how they have responded to varied edTPA policy designs and program contexts. Results show that both policy design and programmatic differences influence how these stakeholders have perceived and implemented edTPA—either as a framework for inquiry or compliance. In the process, we contend that edTPA has many promises and pitfalls as a scalable policy tool for preparing and assessing future teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]