This dissertation examines the connection between the English Language Arts Professional Learning Community, data analysis, and research-based instructional strategies to improve students reading levels, as measured by the Pennsylvania Literature Keystone Exam at an Urban High School. It is a mixed-method study. Data were collected from 9th -12th…

Using data to inform decision-making in the educational environment has increased over the last decade due to accountability requirements at the federal, state, and local level (Bernhardt, 2013; Datnow & Hubbard, 2016; Garland, 2014; Mandinach & Gummer, 2016; McKay, 2018; Wayman, 2005). While research supported the inclusion of data in…

This study examines administrator perceptions of Pennsylvania's state assessment data. This study had three main purposes. The first purpose was to investigate the value and utility of state assessment data to inform decision making and the possibility of improving student achievement through the routine use of state assessment data. The second…

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine teachers' perceptions that an instructional technology coach as having an influence on improving their teaching practice, improving their integration of technology and 21st century skills, and improving student learning. Additionally, the study also examined whether perceptions…

The role of teacher assistants has paralleled the changes in education over the years. The teacher assistants, who numbered 1.3 million in 2008 and are projected to increase by 10 percent by 2018 (Office of Labor Statistics, 2012) are valuable members of our educational communities providing support to students with special needs. These teacher…

The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective perceptions held by students of their interactions with faculty members in college, especially as those interactions relate to the integration and membership of students in the academic community. Academic integration, resulting primarily from student-faculty interactions, has been theorized…

In recent years there has been increasing pressure on PK-12 building level administrators to become more directly involved in classroom instructional practices. The purpose of this study was to examine elements that impacted the teaching building level PK-12 administrator. The study explored potential impediments that prevented a building level…

The Lumina Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Columbia University's Teacher's College Community College Research Center, and Appalachian State's National Center for Developmental Education, funded in part by the Kellogg Institute, expended considerable energy researching promising instructional and support practices in the area of…

This study employed a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design with pretest and posttest. Two waves of data were collected from a non-random sample of 180 human service professionals in Western and Central Pennsylvania using two research instruments: the Social Work Empowerment Scale and the Conditions of Work Effectiveness-II Scale.…

This study is relevant to parents, private organizations, and the educational system interested in discovering whether charter school students perform better academically than traditional public elementary school students. The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment data were used to analyze and compare student performance in grades 3-5 from two…

This qualitative study explored African American teachers' perceived levels of support with regard to mentoring, internal supports, external supports, and other contributing variables to determine the extent to which they fostered sustained employment in suburban school districts . The research data included input from 61 African American teacher…

The purpose of this project was to explore the decision-making approach and types of data that school psychologists use in determining special education classification. There were three research objectives: (a) to investigate the types of conditions and measures needed to test the use of the representativeness heuristic and assessment data, (b) to…

Due to the challenges of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, many schools and school districts are implementing after-school tutoring programs to provide students additional instruction to score proficient or better in reading and mathematics. This doctoral study analyzed the effects of the ABC Middle School Educational Assistance Program…

Some fourth, fifth and sixth grade students in a rural Pennsylvania school district are not achieving at a proficient level and have low self-efficacy in reading. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teacher implemented mastery orientation goals, students' judgment of their ability to perform the task of reading…

The content standards reform movement and the accountability movement that have occurred over the past 10 to 20 years have received much attention among educational professionals and the general public. The federal government legislated accountability measures with the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2000. The Pennsylvania…