Despite the promise of equal education opportunities for all students in the nation, the achievement/opportunity gap between English language learners (ELLs) and their non-ELLs peers persists. Time, effort, and resources of all kids have been invested in educational reforms to improve these students' outcomes without success (Darling-Hammond,…

The purpose of this research was twofold: (a) to assess educator self-reported knowledge, skills, and perceptions of twice-exceptional children's characteristics for best practices in identification and (b) to develop strong educator competencies through professional development sessions for serving and nurturing twice-exceptional learners in…

The purpose of the research was identifying how teacher training and knowledge in play impacts the use of play as an RtI behavior intervention. The study was designed to find possible correlations between the following four areas; teachers' training on play, teachers' knowledge of play, teachers' beliefs of play, and teachers'' use of play as a…

This dissertation examines the skills, knowledge, and support needs of novice and experienced Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) teachers in higher education in the United States. Using a critical ecological approach (CEA) framework, it aims to contribute to the global growing body of research on LSP teacher preparation that has thus far…

The state of Nebraska recently adopted and implemented a set of Science standards that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards which include engineering practices such as engineering design and the use of technology. Curriculum administrators throughout the state are responsible for the implementation of these standards including…

A line has become blurred between intercultural interactions and daily personal interactions. The once long distance for trade, travel and communication is at its' smallest gap. However, "American graduates have been cited as being culturally deprived and linguistically illiterate, compared to students from other countries" (2013…

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to uncover and understand secondary general school educators' experiences and perspectives in readiness in meeting the needs of high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) learners within the inclusive teaching environment. The research question served as the foundational premise of the…

The number of children diagnosed with pediatric bipolar disorder has increased 4,000% from 1994 to 2003. Researchers have identified the need for teachers' professional development in this area but have not specified what teachers need to know to effectively educate students. The problem addressed was this lack of clinical knowledge and…

Many stakeholders have long argued that teachers should use data from their own teaching as a way to improve their performance. The first chapter of this dissertation is a summary of the literature that advises mathematics teachers about what data they should gather and how they should use those data to improve instruction. The literature is…

This study explored the instructional reading practices of four elementary teachers, all graduates of a small branch campus of a large Midwestern University, who obtained their Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and have been employed in public elementary schools for nearly three years. The four individuals were former university students of…

I investigated eight preservice teachers' understandings about culturally responsive pedagogy as they participated in a writing methods course in which they tutored children from different ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds in an afterschool program at a local community center. I also investigated how these preservice…