This dissertation in practice focused on the use of Motivational Interviewing in the school environment between school staff and families. More specifically, this program evaluation sought to see if the use of Motivational Interviewing by school staff could improve parent participation rates in student attendance improvement conferences (SAICs).…

Youth participation in meaningful and purposive civic organizations and activities not only impacts the participants' development, but also influences their involvement in their communities both today and in the future. The combination of the two studies included in this dissertation examine just that. Both studies were conducted utilizing…

The purpose of this study was to examine cyberbullying policies and procedures in middle schools in a large urban school district located in a metropolitan area of Texas. The researcher obtained the perceptions of middle school principals regarding how they implement policies and procedures for dealing with incidents occurring on their campus.…

In Guam, the Chamoru have weathered centuries of change in the political and educational arenas. This study explored ways parents assisted their children at home and in school to understand the perspectives and approaches of parents in Guam. The sample consisted of 10 Chamoru parents. The purpose of this study was to address the question of how…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that served as barriers to principal engagement in the professional development process and identify what resources or supports were needed to increase engagement levels. For the purpose of this study, the professional development process included the identification of the professional learning…

America's democracy is dependent on citizens to engage in ways that address public concerns which range from volunteerism to electoral participation to running for elected offices. Each of these activities is necessary for sustaining a thriving democracy and the communities within it. Rural communities throughout the United States are faced with…

Digital participatory platforms like Wikipedia are often celebrated as projects that allow anyone to contribute. Any user can sign up and start contributing immediately. Similarly, projects that engage volunteers in the production of scientific knowledge create easy points of entry to make contributions. These low barriers to entry are a hallmark…

Recent charter school enrollment trends suggest that many parents are choosing to enroll students in charter schools instead of traditional public schools, even though data indicate public school achievement is equal to or above charter schools. Guided by Rogers and Maslow's humanistic theory, the purpose of the study was to examine reasons why…

This dissertation study investigated how immigrant youth attending two different high schools for late-arrival immigrants in New York City constructed civic belonging by attending to their everyday enactments of citizenship across the contexts of school, neighborhood and home. Civic belonging refers to the embodied social practices by which…

Researchers have concluded that parental involvement is necessary for students' success in school because parent involvement in school activities can positively affect children's learning and school experiences. Parent presence and participation is lacking in an urban school district in western Tennessee. The purpose of this study was to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of teachers and parents and factors that developed and maintained parental involvement among middle and high school parents. The research included eight teachers (four middle school teachers and four high school teachers) and eight parents (four whose children were in middle school and four…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of students with Level I Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who were involved with transition planning which resulted in ongoing services after high school. This study sought to understand student and parental perspectives of the value and impact of the facets of transition planning.…

This multiple case study examines two New Jersey non-scholarship community college athletic programs and answers the questions why student-athletes choose to attend the community college and participate in athletics, what factors influence their decisions, and how administrators and student-athlete descriptions of the value and contribution of…

Equity in mathematics teaching has gained increased attention in the last few decades. A growing field of research has provided various definitions of equity, outlined standards, and identified practices that lead to equitable learning opportunities for all students, particularly for students from non-dominant backgrounds. However, few studies…

Parent involvement is a concept that is used to describe the ways schools attempt to connect with parents for the educational benefit and support of students. Schools engage in strategies and invest in programs to increase parents' involvement at and with the school, employ personnel to support parents, and develop workshops aimed at supporting…