School reform efforts, though the subject of a great deal of scrutiny and research since the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983, have resulted in negligible positive net results for student achievement on any of our current scales of measurement. Additionally, our current school system has yet to fully or successfully pivot to a twenty-first…

The purpose of this professional practice dissertation (PPD) was to examine and provide Department of Defense Education Activity Schools practical and real-world solutions with regards to continuous improvement within its educational equity program. This process was examined and analyzed through a qualitative action research approach and design…

Empathy plays a vital role in improving student engagement and supporting organizational change in schools. In fact, empathy is widely recognized as an essential skill for integration during such efforts. In collaboration with Battelle for Kids, the Cumberland Valley School District in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, launched a vision for school…

The purpose of this action research study was to investigate and improve the school choice experience for students in a large urban school district on the East Coast. Participants in Cycle 1 were comprised of middle and high school staff, and data was collected via surveys, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. Action steps included…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to understand and enhance the perceived efficacy of micro-credentialing and digital badging for K-12 educators within a large urban school district. Cycle 1 of this research engaged over 150 educators and included 14 semi-structured interviews, seeking to identify the primary reasons for engaging…

Action research (AR) is a form of systematic inquiry by which practitioners address their own problems of practice. Professional development (PD) is a means by which teachers contribute to school improvement and student achievement. Too little research has gathered the qualitative perceptions of former participants in action-oriented professional…

Background: The Dogwood Mountain School System (DMSS) faces the challenge of trying to address the apparent drop-off of female student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and increase female student interest and engagement in STEM. Purpose: The purpose of this action research study was to understand how individual…

To improve environmental conservation efforts in Nigeria, environmental education content and practice need to be transformed to enable learners to study their own environments, share their knowledge, and generate conservation solutions. To achieve this, ten teachers, one researcher, and one educational technologist/research assistant engaged in a…

Since the early 1900s, the traditional thinking about education and school role in the USA has shifted to view schools as non-isolated entities from the larger society where schooling should be re-energized with help from the society, which includes student homes and communities. This mixed approach action research study evolves around improving…

The increased focus on school accountability has led districts to implement instructional coaching positions on campuses. A close review of literature revealed that teacher perceptions can impact program effectiveness and reinforced a need for additional study of teacher perceptions of instructional coaching. The researcher designed this Q…

The purpose of this mixed method study was to determine the perceived impact of learning about technology via action research as a professional development activity on faculty and students in higher education. Nine faculty members--also Teaching and Technology Fellows representing various disciplines at St. John's University--were selected based…

The purpose of this action research study is to identify, implement, and evaluate best practices in reading improvement in third grade at Greenleaf Upper Elementary (pseudonym) in support of a process of continuous improvement. The study followed a mixed methods design. The student participants in this study were 47 third grade students who…

An intervention was implemented to address the high number of discipline violations due to an unconditional open-campus lunch policy at a senior high school. The intent of the intervention was to statistically measure discipline violations among voluntary participants and to determine whether or not a significant change occurred. The research…

The present action research study describes an Interactive Mathematics Review Program (IMRP) developed by the participant-researcher to enable remedial algebra students to learn in a cooperative classroom with pedagogy that promoted collaboration and hands-on, active learning. Data are comprised of surveys, field notes, semi-structured interviews,…

Since 1995, to allow teachers to organize and instruct in more effective ways, many English as a Second Language (ESL) specialists and researchers have studied the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model and its instructional framework by Echevarria, Vogt, and Short in 2004. By combining strategies and techniques that recognize the…