The purpose of this action research study was to assist students coping with the pressures of attending a high achieving school by devising and implementing a seven-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) to raise overall student well-being. Additionally, it was hoped that the students would use the mindfulness techniques as positive coping…

More support and resources must be allocated in education for teaching students who naturally outperform their peers. There is even less support provided for Black students who naturally excel. These students require rigor and intentional lessons to continue challenging themselves and growing as scholars. As an elementary school teacher, I found…

In this dissertation, I examined the experiences of QuestBridge Scholars attending three different elite universities that enroll more students from the top income quintile than from the lowest three income quintiles combined. The universities attended by participants in this study are among the few that are both need-blind and that fully meet…

Early mathematical learning for students that exhibit typical gifted characteristics, including precocity and sophisticated math ability, should have opportunities to expand their thinking capacities through enrichment and/or advanced coursework that allows them to reach their full potential. Effective programming interventions allows for…

School improvement ultimately rests in the hands of teachers, and the balance of teaching and evaluation of learning is the method for sustained success. In his 2009 book, "Visible Learning (VL)," John Hattie acknowledges this statement and contends that the majority of teachers know what works due to reflexive teaching praxis. Many…

School improvement ultimately rests in the hands of teachers, and the balance of teaching and evaluation of learning is the method for sustained success. In his 2009 book, "Visible Learning (VL)," John Hattie acknowledges this statement and contends that the majority of teachers know what works due to reflexive teaching praxis. Many…

The use of blended learning in kindergarten K-12 schools in the past decade has seen a dramatic increase, but the research on the effectiveness of blended learning has shown mixed results. However, some schools use blended learning that would be considered successful. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of principals in…

This study explores the effectiveness of current teacher preparation program that prepare dual language immersion teachers and identifies effective professional development training approach for teachers under the layer of culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogical practices. Through a qualitative phenomenology approach that includes…

Encouraging the academic growth of every student is an important part of providing a free appropriate public education in America. Each school should be focused on providing the best education for all of our students, including our top performing who will be competing with other students from all over the world for college entry and career…

This research was conducted as a qualitative comparative case study of two Northern New England school districts that were in the process of responding to declining enrollments. The purpose of the study was to explore decision-making through the lens of declining enrollments. An award winning rural school in an affluent town with high performing…

This qualitative study examined the ways in which technology has been integrated into teaching and learning practices at an academically high-performing technology magnet school. Although access to technology has significantly increased in K-12 schools in the last decade and a half, most research indicates the actual usage in most classrooms to be…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide research in examining the difference in student achievement in reading and math through the quantitative data collection of North Carolina EOG scores for students in third through fifth grade from one high poverty and high performing North Carolina public school district before and after…

Teach For America, founded by Wendy Kopp in 1991, now boasts nearly 25,000 alumni and 5,000 current teachers, known as corps members. The culture of Teach For America, which is built on these corps members, is a culture of achievement. They have completed college as high-achievers, so they typically expect that trajectory to continue in their…

Inner city high schools today are struggling to create and maintain connections between students' values and schools requirements. Schools attempt to develop ways to help students become a vital part of the school community and provide them with resources to be successful both socially and academically. This study examined how an urban high school…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine which basic skills program factors were exhibited by successful basic skills programs that helped students advance to transfer-level mathematics. This study specifically examined California community college basic skills programs that assist students who place in mathematics courses 2 levels…