Classroom Management Coaching for First-Year Urban Teachers: Purpose, Design, and Implementation

This qualitative study explores one urban district's purpose, design, and implementation of a unique classroom management coaching program for first-year teachers (FYTs). Through interviews of coaches, assistant principals, and district administrators, we identify why and how this program supported FYTs’ struggles with classroom management. Results highlight difficulties related to culturally responsive classroom management, which was mitigated by district coaches who provided individualized support. Data also indicates specific misconceptions held by FYTs, strategic district decisions in designing the coaching program, and challenges encountered throughout implementation. Findings have implications for the preparation and support of culturally responsive classroom management for FYTs.

Culturally Responsive Classroom Management

Classroom management remains a serious concern for educators in both pre-service and in-service realms. A mostly white teaching force may struggle to teach students who are very different from themselves. These differences can make it difficult for teachers to understanding cultural differences and conflicts as they emerge in the classroom, and students may suffer. Culturally responsive classroom management provides a framework for educators to build knowledge, mindsets, attitudes, dispositions, and practices necessary for academic and social success. Elements of classroom management to advance and support teaching practices that meet the needs of students are worthwhile to explore.

Implementation of CORE Traits to Become an Interculturally Responsive Leader in a Second Language Classroom

The objective of this chapter was to describe CORE leadership traits for teachers and leaders that will assist them in being interculturally responsive educators and improve learning in the second language classroom. Communication, organization, relationships, and enthusiasm (CORE) are traits that consistently improve teacher/leader social interactions with students and thus improve the educators' ability to enhance the learning experience (Mixon, 2010). What's in your CORE? Being predisposed to cultural issues is imperative for pre-service teachers to prepare appropriately to teach students of other cultures (Barnes, 2006; Cooper, 2007; Walker-Dalhouse & Dalhouse, 2006). Henkin and Steinmetz's (2008) goal was to produce teachers who are prepared to provide an academically sound education in a culturally responsive classroom. The culturally responsive classroom is pivotal to align with the globalization of students that has dramatically changed the demographics in our educational institutions today.

The Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Self-Efficacy Scale: Development and Initial Validation

This article reports on the development and initial validation of the Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Self-Efficacy Scale. Data from 380 preservice and inservice teachers were used to examine the psychometric properties of the instrument. Exploratory factor analysis results suggested a one-factor structure consisting of 35 items and the scores on the measure were highly reliable. Evidence of construct validity was obtained with two existing teacher self-efficacy measures. The results of the correlational analysis lend credence that the instrument developed by the research team was indeed measuring self-efficacy beliefs. The implications for teacher education and research are discussed.