School climate is a widely researched concept because of the influence that school climate can have on student outcomes such as academic achievement, attendance and discipline (Thapa et al, 2013; Wang & Degol, 2016;), as well as staff member outcomes such as job satisfaction and teacher retention (Cohen et al, 2009; Thapa et al, 2013). A…

The focus of this doctoral project was to investigate the implementation of a new behavioral management system, Positive Behaviors Intervention and Support (PBIS), by the teaching staff in grades K-6 at a specific school. The aim of PBIS is to create a consistent set of behavior expectations across the entire campus, rather than just within…

The purpose of this study was to understand the difficulties encountered by special education teachers while dealing with students who had dyslexia and demonstrated challenging behavior. The topic was the experiences associated with teaching dyslexic students. There is a lack of research centering on special education teachers' experience teaching…

Focus groups and interviews can help to determine teachers' perspectives on classroom management. The problem with special education in the United States is that teachers are not prepared for specific classroom challenges, and their perceptions of classroom management have not been thoroughly documented. Gaps in the literature included teachers'…

Historically, African American students have been overrepresented in special education (National Education Association [NEA], 2007. Specifically, African American students have been identified with an emotional disturbance (ED) in special education at an excessive rate in comparison to students of other racial and ethnic categories (Office of…

Higher education administrators are tasked with supporting and retaining students with increasing needs. These needs often include emotional and mental health issues but can worsen to include suicidality and violence toward others. Traditional campus approaches for supporting students and intervening for violence, such as counseling and campus…

This study investigated how teachers' perceptions of students demonstrating challenging behaviors are influenced by the cause of the behavior. This study measured teacher perceptions of how successful a student would be in general education, the impact a student would have on the class, and the teachers' self-efficacy to support a student across…

Students with extensive support needs (ESN) are a heterogenous group of students with the most pervasive and ongoing support needs who typically receive special education services under the categories of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, or multiple disabilities and often qualify to take their state's alternate assessment…

This dissertation analyzes how mandated high-stakes tests and college and career ready standards influence local curricula and the reproduction of inequalities between students. I found that inequalities were reproduced based on distinctions between students in co-taught courses (classes that required the presence of an aide to assist students…

The purpose of this multiple case study described and compared practices utilized to implement the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) approach at 3 purposely selected Central California elementary school sites. More specifically, this study described and compared: (a) school practices for defining and teaching school rules/expectations;…

Discursive practices enacted by educators in kindergarten create a blueprint for how the educational trajectories of students with disabilities get constructed. In this two-year ethnographic case study, I critically examine educators' relationships with students considered to present challenging behaviors in one classroom located in a…

Classroom disruptions present an obstacle to raising student achievement for teachers and school administrators. This study was designed to investigate potential relationships between weather, specifically barometric pressure, or the lunar cycle, and whether either had a direct correlation with student discipline referrals. The intent was to…

Using a multi-ethnic, socioeconomically varied sample of children of immigrants attending Islamic and public schools from first through third grade, this dissertation examined the degree to which school-based family involvement predicted teacher perceptions of value differences with parents, teacher expectations, child externalizing behavioral…

Teachers and their students increasingly come from different cultural backgrounds (Black, 2006). Aronson (2004) noted that 86% of the teaching populations in public schools were Caucasian and female and failing to connect with students was often cited in schools where the student populations were predominantly African American. Howard (2006)…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the expectations and perceptions of respondents assigned to a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP). The focus of the study was the experiences of adolescent Hispanic males and their parent(s)/guardian(s) upon being assigned to the DAEP. Findings from this study indicated aspects…