The expansion of treatment interventions in child and adolescent residential milieu therapy in recent decades to include a multiplicity of approaches and techniques has resulted in the reformulation of residential treatment as a "tapestry of therapies" as opposed to a unified effort to maintain a uniquely growth-promoting total…

This research, a phenomenological study, examined four different local churches in Rwanda to identify the key strategies and methods used to establish an orphan care culture and ministry. Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California has partnered with the country of Rwanda to end the orphan crisis. As of today, 35 orphanages in the country of…

Across the United States, systems of education are failing, and this dysfunction is characterized by both academic underachievement and overachievement. This research was an investigation of whether a purpose-driven curriculum contributed to student success in school and in life. This dissertation was intended to inform school systems about…

This qualitative study addressed the formation of student identity (servant and civic) as well as how students formed community through experiencing difference in a service-learning classroom. An interpretive qualitative study of five high school students was conducted in a service-learning program at Willow Falls High School, a public high school…

Alternative schools are an option for students considered to be at risk. Behaviorism methods are widely used and accepted in alternative schools, yet, not all students respond to the skill and drill methods and controlled environment behaviorism entails. Success for students at-risk, especially those behind academically, requires motivation,…

The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to illuminate the prevalence and configurations of peer mentoring programs at Central California Community Colleges with emphasis on how the programs impacted student retention. The study's sample was drawn from ten campuses and five centers that operate within five California Community…

With the challenges facing principals today, the question of how best to support new principals in meeting these challenges remains. The leadership abilities of new school leaders matter more today than ever with increasing accountability and additional responsibilities. The focus of this study was to determine participants' perceptions of the…

The importance of principal preparation in special education has increased since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed in 1975. There are significant financial reasons for preparing principals in the area of special education. Recent research also shows that all children learn better in an inclusive environment. Principals who…

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of community college instructors teaching dual enrollment courses to qualified junior and senior high school students to understand how dual enrollment affects high school students' academic skills and noncognitive learning as a transition to college. Based on Tinto's theory of…

Theories of writing process have informed the teaching of writing for the past forty years, providing writing mentors with a language of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing that broadens ways to invite young writers to approach composition. In the past forty years, new technologies for composition have impacted the products,…

This phenomenological qualitative case study investigates the lived experiences and perception of African-American undergraduate traditional college students who completed a structured transitional and academic success program. The program is known as the Learning Institute and Opportunities for New Students (LIONS) summer bridge program, and it…

Advances in technological uses within public schools provide increased methods to collect and store non-public personal information (NPI) or personally identifiable information (PII) from both students and employees. Consequently, the sensitive information collected is susceptible to unauthorized disclosure, as various public school employees are…

Technology is now being utilized in schools in an effort to address the lack of engagement most students have experienced in mathematics when learning foundational skills at the elementary school level. While there are a number of studies that have described teacher perceptions of engagement through the use of technology during the school day,…

The purpose of the present action research study is to describe a hands-on activity model, named the Constructed Scaffold Model (CSM), used in an Advanced Placement Calculus class in a southeastern United States suburban high school. Data were collected over an 8-week period during the spring 2017 semester. The teacher-researcher developed a…

This qualitative research study describes perceptions of Northwest Arkansas' business, industry and post-secondary institutions as to the Don Tyson School of Innovation (DTSOI) and its ability to prepare students for Northwest Arkansas' college and career needs. Designated as one of the first schools of innovation in Arkansas through ACT 601 of…