It is well established that beginning teachers need support to bridge the gap from college teacher preparation to the classroom setting (Fletcher & Strong, 2009; Wong, 2003). In fact, lack of support in this transition has been identified as a leading factor that causes beginning teachers to leave the profession at high rates early in their…

This dissertation examined perceptions of elementary district superintendents regarding professional development in the superintendency. The current challenges of the superintendency require superintendents to be more prepared than ever before and to serve as effective leaders of school districts. Specifically, this research identified what…

The purpose of this study was to explore the essence of professional learning experiences shared by teachers who participated in a professional learning community (PLC) at a New York City high school in the South Bronx. Guided by Hord's PLC characteristics and Bruner's constructivism theories, this phenomenological study addressed the research…

Intercultural competence is a skill required by those who teach in transnational education--that is, at branch campuses located in foreign countries (Crabtree & Sapp, 2004; Dunn & Wallace, 2004; Gribble & Ziguras, 2003; Leask, 2004). Despite the strong emphasis that has been put on the importance of having classrooms facilitated by…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the individual experiences of elementary principals' in Southern San Diego County when making ethical decisions that are unique to schools near the United States/Mexico border. Ethical decision-making, in this case, is the term used to depict an incident that calls for a…

The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to explore the professional learning outcomes of teachers as they implement community-based instruction programs for students with disabilities in a New Jersey school district. The study was viewed through the theoretical lens of disabilities studies in education, which posits that the…

The purpose of this basic qualitative research study was to identify the extent to which kindergarten teachers understand and implement inquiry-based instruction in their science classrooms. This study was conducted in response to the indication that traditional didactic teaching methods were not enough to adequately prepare American students to…

Bullying is a problem experienced in schools across the country including in the ABC Elementary School in Georgia, where the No Place for Hate antibullying program is in place to address this problem. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand educators' perspectives on their experiences implementing the program. Bandura's social…

The impact of a culturally relevant professional development series on classroom teacher's cultural lens was determined. Fifty teachers from two different school districts participated in 16 hours of professional development in an attempt to impact their understanding of how culture and instruction are connected. During the professional…

With the ongoing changes in education and the changing demographics of students in schools, the topic of school readiness is imperative. When children enter elementary school behind academically and socially, they are not prepared to be successful learners in kindergarten. Because school readiness is an indicator of school success, it is important…

Novice special education teachers have become an integral part of the public and private school systems throughout Pennsylvania. This mixed-methods research study explored the expertise and preparedness of current novice special education teachers. A combination of an electronic survey questionnaire and phone and face-to-face interviews were…

Response to Intervention (RTI) programs are designed to support students at risk of failing in school due to academic or behavioral problems. When RTI programs are applied inconsistently due to teachers' resources or knowledge, students may be wrongly identified for special education services. The purpose of this qualitative bounded descriptive…

There is limited research pertaining to the impact SoTL has had on individual faculty members. Finding trends among participants of SoTL is essential for the promotion of the SoTL movement at both an individual and institutional level. The purpose of this study is to examine faculty members' perceptions about how their scholarship of teaching and…

As a response to accountability and pressure from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, the South Dakota Department of Education informed school administrators of a state-wide transformation of the way districts measure teacher effectiveness in their schools. In 2011, "The Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument" (Danielson, 2002)…

Due to teacher shortages at the study site, teaching positions in the state that is the focus of this study are filled by alternate route (AR) teachers, who earned bachelor degrees in the fields that were not related to education and received teacher certification through alternative teacher education programs. Because there is limited information…