This study examined the lived experiences of New York City educators who are teaching and learning in a high-stakes testing environment to improve students' learning outcomes. The research questions were: (1) What are New York City elementary school educators' experiences teaching in a high-stakes testing environment? (2) What are New York City…

One policy ambition of education reform in the last thirty years has been to push public education beyond didactic pedagogies, basic facts, and rote skills toward ambitious instructional experiences and outcomes not only for students of privilege, but also for students of poverty and color. As U.S. education policy and reform have pressed for the…

Globalization, although not a new phenomenon, has had a significant impact on the way the world operates. It has been suggested that 10 events in recent history have led to a "flattening" of the world that has made it easier for smaller countries to gain access to knowledge and compete on a global level. Ireland has reaped the benefits…

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to describe elementary level school teachers' experiences who worked with English Learners in a project-based learning model of instruction. The study focused on how teachers developed, planned, or utilized curriculum to support the language acquisition of their English Learners to meet state and…

The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of globalization, foreign direct investment, and multinational corporate responsibility on the curriculum and teaching practices in Costa Rican K-12 schools. The study was also designed to understand the relationships among the Ministry of Education, Coalicion Costarricense de Iniciativas…

This qualitative study sought to understand how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Project-Based Learning (PBL) can be used to help Costa Rican students gain and participate in the global knowledge-based economy of the 21st century. The purpose was to examine the influence that globalization, foreign direct investment, and…

This dissertation is a qualitative practitioner research study in which I explore how my students and I engage in critical literacy using sociopolitical Articles of the Week (AoWs). Critical literacy is the ability to read, write, and speak about texts in a reflective manner to better understand power, inequality, and injustice that prevails in…

The impact of globalization and technological advances created a global economic environment in which emerging countries can compete with traditionally economically dominant countries on an increasingly level playing field. Emerging countries can advance their economy through the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) more quickly than by…

Ecological ideas have been manifested in diverse ways in American high schools since the early twentieth century. Core scientific concepts in ecology--the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment--include adaptations, plant succession, ecosystem ecology, and population ecology. This dissertation argues, however, that there…

This study applies theories of globalization, 21st century skills, and project based learning to explore the Costa Rican National Science Fair and its role in building human capital and preparing students for 21st century jobs, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. This qualitative study captured the…

In recent years there has been increasing interest in engineering education at the K-12 level, which has resulted in states adopting engineering standards as a part of their academic science standards. From a national perspective, the basis for research into engineering education at the K-12 level is the belief that it is of benefit to student…