Relatively little research has considered how tasks are performed and experienced by students in different types of classrooms. Research shows that innovative classroom designs can lead to higher levels of cognitive engagement, connections between form and meaning, and more diverse forms of input (Schmidt, 1990; Svalberg, 2012) and are…

The purpose of this ex post facto study was to compare the end of year GPAs of 8th grade underachieving students who participated in Career and Technical Education programming through the Memphis Ambassadors Apprentice Program to those who did not. Introducing Career and Technical Education programs and activities to students at a young age…

Secondary English as a Second Language (ESL) students commonly face obstacles that put them at greater risk for learning gaps in computer assisted learning (CAL). These obstacles include but are not limited to computer attitudes, computer self-efficacy, digital empathy, and connectivity gaps. Student attitudes towards computers as learning devices…

This current study explored outcomes of SEL competencies including self-efficacy toward classroom performance, emotion regulation, stress, and the use of breathing and mindfulness strategies after implementing SEL-based yoga programming among youth Grades 3 through 5 (N=403). Findings indicate that SEL-based yoga programs support stress reduction…

The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed methods study was to understand how being both Black and a girl impacted the mathematical and STEM experiences of Black adolescent girls enrolled in informal STEM learning programs and Black adolescent girls who are not enrolled in informal STEM learning programs. Using Critical Race Theory, this study…

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between the implementation of freshman academies and student achievement in math, English, and science in schools in Arkansas. The study presents a review of the literature that discusses the ninth-grade year and the use of freshman academies to improve student achievement. The study…

Student mental health disorders have seen an uptick in prevalence in the United States within the past five years. The current study explores the idea of improving student mental resilience as a way to combat the rising percentages of students who suffer from mental disorders. The study uses a mixed-method design that quantitatively includes an…

The present study explored the effect of instructing middle school students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades in positive psychology lessons, as compared to control classes that did not receive this positive psychology instruction. This study used quantitative procedures to determine the implementation of this curriculum on lowering student…

The opportunity gap between Black and Brown students and their White counterparts in math performance is present in our middle school math classrooms. This opportunity gap creates an urgent need for educators to prepare middle school math teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to build the math content and math identity of…

This causal comparative quantitative study examined if college readiness differences exist between Black and Latino AVID enrolled middle school students in a school district in southern Arizona as compared with Black and Latino middle school students not enrolled in AVID and/or White AVID middle school students. The PSAT 8/9 was the proxy measure…

The problem addressed in this dissertation is the low mathematics scores on state tests that leads to school districts having difficulty meeting overall student achievement requirements for accreditation purposes. The purpose of this study was to compare the progress on an interim common assessment of students who were enrolled in a MATH 180…

In 1967, Martin Luther King affirmed, "In elementary schools, Negroes lag one to three years behind Whites, and their segregated schools received substantially less money per student than do the White schools." (as cited in Startz, 2020, para. 1) Two years prior, the main intent of the ESEA of 1965, which also created Title I, had been…

Recognition of the need for students with disabilities to receive free and appropriate education was brought to the forefront with the passage of Public Law 93 - 112, Rehabilitation Act in 1973. In 1975 Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was enacted requiring all schools to develop and provide a free, appropriate…

Post-secondary education attainment results in higher salaries (Pew Research Center, 2014) and an increase in positive societal benefits (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2013). Nevertheless, only 31% of U.S. citizens over the age of 25 have a bachelor's degree (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). While tradition would dictate the preparation for going to college…

Schools currently face problems in preparing students for their post-secondary pursuits. The current job market remains unsaturated and almost half of all students that attend college end up dropping out. Almost a third of the students that do graduate end up working in a field unrelated to their course of study and college costs and debt are on…