Research
Faculty and students in Elementary Education engage in research that supports effective, inclusive teaching practices and addresses some of the most persistent challenges in teacher education and K–5 education more broadly, including instructional quality, student engagement, and educator preparation and retention.
Programs
Elementary Education programs offer both undergraduate and graduate studies and pathways to becoming an elementary teacher.
Undergraduate
We offer a Bachelor of Science (B. S.) degree focused on Elementary Education.
More on Education Major, B. S. in Education, Elementary Education Concentration
Graduate
We offer Master of Science (M. S.), Educational Specialist (Ed. S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) degrees that provide opportunities for focused study in Elementary Education. The M. S. and Ed. S. programs offer pathways for both individuals seeking teacher licensure and those who already hold a teaching license.
Elementary educators lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning—what we do in these early years shapes everything that follows.
Elementary Education Faculty
Sharing Recent Work From Faculty and Students
Bilingual Research Journal
Holtz, E., & Young, J. L. (2024). Resituating Ruiz’s orientations in language planning: A content analysis of the landscape of bilingual educational research. Bilingual Research Journal, 47(1), 4–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2023.2296425
Science and Children
Rearden, K., & Broemmel, A. (2024). To infinity (or at least a million) and beyond: Making sense of large numbers. Science & Children, 61(3), 69–73. https://doi-org.utk.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/00368148.2024.2340807
Teacher Development
Broemmel, A. D., Rigell, A., Jordan, J. J., & Rearden, K. T. (2023). ‘It was natural and real-life’: book clubs as professional development for preservice teachers. Teacher Development, 27(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2022.2137576
Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Annual Conference (ALER)
Jordan, J., Broemmel, A., & Bentley, K. (2023, November). Professional Teacher Vision Journal: Following the Transformation of Preservice Teacher Beliefs. Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Annual Conference (ALER), Santa Fe, NM.
School Mathematics and Science Association Conference
MacTavish, E. R., & Varnes, A. (2024, November). Removing barriers and inspiring students to read scientific texts. School Science & Mathematics Association, Knoxville, TN.
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Holtz, E., & Williams, J.W. III. (2024, April). Jim Crowing bilingualism?: A critical spatial analysis of Texas dual language programs in the wake of the Bilingual Education Act [Conference Session]. American Educational Research Association 2024 Conference, Philadelphia, PA, United States.