The purpose of this action research study was to examine and improve school principals' time management to increase opportunities for instructional leadership. The only constant of a principal's day is the consistent need to prioritize various expected and unexpected demands and expectations that exist on a daily basis. This study investigated the…

High-achieving teenage students (HATS) take Advanced Placement (AP) courses to fulfill two goals: boost their grade point average (GPA) and maintain or increase their class rank. To assist in accomplishing these goals, HATS access social media (SM) and technology. Smart devices, laptops, and tablets provide easy access for HATS to build social…

This mixed method action research study sought to empower teachers from Kenya and the United States together in a community of practice online. Three research questions were asked: 1) How might participants' awareness of their teaching situations and their roles within their systems grow? 2) How might dialogic engagement in a cycle of critical…

This qualitative study examined how elementary school leaders from K-5 schools in eastern New York addressed contextual factors in implementing and sustaining professional learning communities (PLCs). Senge (1990) posited structures need to be in place to create and facilitate collaborative communities. A complementary position presents…

The aim of this qualitative phenomenological action research was to explore the viewpoints of educators participating in a community of practice that integrates the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework with culturally responsive teaching and personalized learning. The study involved six teachers from a competitive public school district…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore how community college instructors described the influence of their technological and pedagogical knowledge in online course design at a community college in the Southeastern United States. The identified theoretical framework for this study was Koehler and Mishra's (2006) TPACK…

A qualitative research design structured this case study to investigate the motivations of seven speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to supervise graduate fieldwork placements. The purpose of this study was to determine motivational factors affecting the SLPs willingness to work with graduate students which in turn could be contributing to the…

Researchers have shown that effective professional learning communities (PLCs) enhance the ability of educators to improve student outcomes at schools, including schools with a student body of more than 75% students of color. Educators and policy makers need to understand more about how educators in these school settings experience PLC work. The…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are a best practice that has been around for decades; however, due to organizational structuring in elementary schools, teachers are allowed 30 minutes of planning time. During this time little planning or collaboration with peers is achieved. Previous research has proven that professional learning by way…

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' lived experiences in professional learning communities, conceptualized in Ohio as teacher based teams. This study was carried out against the backdrop of state policies addressed to poorly performing schools. School culture must change in failing schools. In order to change culture (Kowalski,…

This study examined the enduring effects of a pre-service teacher preparation program rooted in problem-based historical inquiry on the beliefs and practices of five program graduates in their early careers. Interviews with participants and observations in their classrooms allowed me to explore the enduring effects of the pre-service program as…

Despite millions of dollars spent on reform efforts, effective and sustainable improvement still eludes schools. The appropriate development of the professional learning community model, including five key dimensions, provides a structure for educational institutions to bring about sustainable improvements in student achievement. If principals do…

The implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) in schools has been shown to increase the academic performance of students and develop a beneficial and productive culture of true teacher collaboration. Despite these demonstrated benefits, resistance to PLC implementation has been documented in various forms throughout the…

The use of hybrid learning (a blend of face-to-face and distance learning) is rapidly increasing in higher education. However, educational leaders have raised concerns about the proliferation of hybrid programming as an efficiency measure without appropriate attention to learning. This study examined the relationship between social, teaching and…

This study investigated administrators, college faculty, K-12 teachers, and pre-service teachers' perceptions of PLCs and their organizational environment as it relates to self-efficacy. The connection between educators' perceptions of PLCs is their learning environments and their willingness to change. The challenge is encouraging and…