Pursuing Equity for Black and Latine Students with Learning Differences
Research at Alder Research Informing Our Work Home Pursuing Equity for Black and Latine Students with Learning Differences This practice brief summarizes the ways that two case study schools systematically implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with the context of Culturally Relevant schoolwide practices. Resource Corner: Resource Corner: Pursuing Equity for Black and Latine Students with Learning Differences Case Studies & Practice Briefs
From Some to All; Readiness to Launch a Dual Credential Residency
Research at Alder Research Informing Our Work Home From Some to All; Readiness to Launch a Dual Credential Residency Presented on October 16th at the CCTE Fall 2025 Conference With the ultimate goal of preparing more teachers to serve neurodiverse students in inclusive settings, our study explores ways that a residency model can be leveraged to serve the national and statewide goals of increased inclusion of students with disabilities. Our findings identify levers for collaboration across teacher educators across credential areas and partnership between district liaisons and teacher preparation faculty. Our findings and discussion engages teacher educators in finding bridges for collaboration across departments or faculty disciplines, and considers how to advance practices for inclusive education in instances when a preservice teacher’s clinical fieldwork may not reflect inclusion.
Designing for More Equitable Noticing: Creating and Refining Protocols to Support Preservice Teachers Noticing
Research at Alder Research Informing Our Work Home Designing for More Equitable Noticing: Creating and Refining Protocols to Support Preservice Teachers Noticing Designing for More Equitable Noticing: Creating and Refining Protocols to Support Preservice Teacher Noticing. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2025.2497197 Developing teacher noticing practices that foster equitable and inclusive learning environments is essential for K-12 science educators. However, there is limited research on how to support preservice teachers in cultivating these practices. This study investigates how intentionally designed noticing sessions shaped preservice teachers’ equitable noticing practices as they observed elementary students’ scientific explanations. Using a design-based research methodology, the study iteratively refined a noticing protocol implemented across three iterations in teacher preparation courses. The analysis focused on how preservice teachers’ attention to and interpretation of students’ ideas evolved across iterations. Findings indicate that preservice teachers’ noticing practices shifted from surface-level observations to more nuanced, asset-based interpretations that recognized students as producers of scientific knowledge. Protocol refinements, including targeted focus questions and structured small group discussions, supported preservice teachers in attending to students’ diverse sense making repertoires. This study contributes to the literature by offering a replicable, research-informed model for preparing preservice teachers to engage in equity-oriented science teaching. Future iterations of the protocol should integrate opportunities for preservice teachers to critically examine their own cultural histories, biases, and ideologies in relation to equitable science instruction.
Justice-Oriented Science Teaching and Learning: Anchoring Phenomena in Science Classrooms
Research at Alder Research Informing Our Work Home Justice-Oriented Science Teaching and Learning: Anchoring Phenomena in Science Classrooms This textbook provides K-12 science teachers and educators innovative uses of anchoring phenomenon-based teaching approaches from a justice-oriented lens (Morales-Doyle, 2017). It discusses topics such as the use of anchoring phenomenon-based pedagogies, qualities of productive anchoring phenomena and includes examples of unit plans that use anchoring phenomena and social justice science issues to create storylines to foster students’ multiple pathways to knowing and learning in the science classrooms. The book is beneficial to K-12 science teachers and science educators who are interested in facilitating students’ sense-making of a real-world phenomenon and engaging in three-dimensional science instruction (NGSS Lead States, 2013). By providing examples of unit plans based on theoretical groundings of anchoring phenomenon-based instruction and justice-oriented science teaching, this book provides a great resource to students, professionals, teachers, and academics in science education. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-76297-0
