School-based health centers (SBHCs) are a model of healthcare where services are delivered in clinics on school campuses (Kjolhede et al., 2021; Harris et al., 2016), with research indicating the delivery model has several educational benefits (Kjolhede et al., 2012; Arenson et al., 2019; Knop et al., 2016). Research findings supporting the use of…

Ethnic Studies has existed in higher education for more than fifty years. In high school, critical education researchers have recognized Ethnic Studies as vital to improving attendance, lowering suspension rates, and boosting GPAs for BIPOC students. This has given rise to the recent K-12 Ethnic Studies model curriculum adoption by the State Board…

Harmful oversights remain in elementary social studies curricula which overlook or misrepresent minoritized communities. This dissertation explores designs for teacher education which address these oversights through community collaborations. This multi-manuscript dissertation is an empirical-conceptual inquiry design (Cochran-Smith & Lytle,…

This mixed-methods descriptive case study examined how a public research university's elementary education teacher preparation program develops social and emotional competence (SEC) in preservice teachers. Using Engestrom's Expansive Learning Theory framework, the study analyzed the tools and mediating artifacts within the program's learning…

The problem this study addressed is that school districts have employed specialized Emotional-Behavioral Disability (EBD) classrooms to help facilitate greater participation in the general education setting by students with EBD; however, general education elementary teachers' intention towards inclusion of EBD students is a barrier to reaching the…

Neoliberalism has been described by many as the greatest threat to global democracy. Few studies have attempted to locate the influences of neoliberalism at the interpersonal level on individual educators involved in university-based teacher education. Given this absence, I undertook an exploratory qualitative case study within one…

Providing engaging, rigorous social studies education at the elementary level is a challenge faced by school districts across the country. In K-12 schools nationwide, social studies education is often neglected so that more time can be devoted to ELA and math, both of which have annual standardized tests associated with them that often carry high…

This ethnographically-oriented, multi-year study examined an epistolary writing relationship between third grade students and the teacher's uncle, known to them as Uncle Billy, who, at the time of the study, was corresponding from prison. Taking place within a Reformed Christian school, this study encapsulates the pedagogy of Ms. Thompson, the…

This three-article dissertation explores educational innovation in charter schools. A common frame of reference for each article is the consideration of the influence of Dr. Benjamin Bloom's 2 sigma problem--the observation that one-on-one tutoring, though often cost prohibitively expensive, produces outcomes two standard deviations higher than…

This quantitative, longitudinal matched pairs study determined whether elementary Spanish immersion students performed better on reading end-of-grade exams in Grades 3-5 than their non-immersion traditional peers in the same grades. African American and Hispanic students from two Spanish immersion schools in a suburban North Carolina district were…

This paper presents an action research study as part of a Dissertation in Practice. Based on observations from the classroom of the participant-researcher, Problem of Practice is described: an over-reliance on teacher-centered instructional methods and the mismatch of these instructional techniques to the pedagogy endorsed by the International…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of classroom teachers who participated in a science-focused study abroad during their time as a preservice teacher and to explore how they are using their study abroad experiences in science curriculum planning and in classroom instruction. This study is guided by two research questions: 1)…

Latinos comprise a significant portion of the total school enrollment in the U.S., and an increasing share of Latinos are pursuing higher education today. However, Latino students still face many educational barriers, and research has repeatedly demonstrated that Latino children lag their peers in terms of their academic achievement. In addition,…

More than 50% of fourth graders in the United States are reading below a proficient level, with more than 75% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch scoring lower than the U.S. average reading score. A framework of background knowledge is essential for vocabulary acquisition so the reader can comprehend the meaning of a text.…

This qualitative case study examined the effective elements of a successful anti-bullying program through clinician and administrator perceptions. Previous studies have examined resources and interventions as curricular strategies, with some studies reflecting interventions as comprehensive programs; however, most studies do not provide…