This exploratory study, in which the participants portrayed a critical role, aimed to discover the perceptions of professional development in changing educator practice at the secondary level with middle school teachers in an urban school district. The data collection process included semi-structured interviews with nine secondary teachers via…

School districts choose programs based on limited data, word of mouth, or cost-effectiveness. STEM-based schools often choose project-based learning (PBL) programs to deliver curricula through limited research and word of mouth effectiveness. This study evaluated one PBL program implementation in the context of a suburban Texas middle school by…

In 2018, the Honor Society (pseudonym) developed an online, self-paced training module for chapter sponsors to help them coach community college students during the collaborative learning project process. The collaborative learning project is one of the principal ways the Honor Society fulfills its mission to provide opportunities to college…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of an eighth grade social and emotional learning (SEL) program collaboratively designed between a middle school and community organization. The program goals aligned to CASEL's SEL framework, and were executed through project-based learning activities of the core curriculum. A…

This mixed-methods case study examined two out-of-school (OST) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs at a science-oriented high school on students' Self-Efficacy. Because STEM is a key for future innovation and economic growth, Americans have been developing a variety of approaches to increase student interest in science within…

The Virtual Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Process Development Project provides the context for the two areas of the research presented in this dissertation. The first area, generally referred to as feedback in this dissertation, focuses on student learning and the interactions of students and instructors that take place in the project,…

Discussions concerning the issue of program assessments have been ongoing for three decades. Current studies focused on the administrator's responsibilities within the post-secondary educational fields continue to overlook program assessments as a role that must be fulfilled. The deans and program directors at ABC College are expected to perform a…