The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine differences in perceived SEL implementation levels across different campus levels (elementary and secondary) when SEL professional development and coaching support were provided to campus staff. A causal-comparative research designed utilized survey data previously collected to examine…

This mixed methods action research study was conducted in a Title I, K-12 public charter school with the purpose of exploring teachers' capacities to implement student-centered learning after participating in effective professional development (PD). Participants attended a PD cycle where the staff chose the topic, learning was sustained over a…

The purpose of this Action Research study was to investigate and improve the student learning experience by understanding how Grades 4 & 5 educators in a Title 1 suburban-urban school district perceive, comprehend, and apply the CASEL framework for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to improve learner motivation and academic achievement. Using…

South Carolina implemented its Read to Succeed (RTS) policy in 2014 in accordance with federal requirements. The problem addressed in this study was that there are many students in South Carolina Title I schools still failing to achieve reading proficiency after 3 years of full implementation of RTS. The purpose of this qualitative study was to…

The quest for greatness has produced disparate outcomes for communities of color, identifying racial and economic injustices that require a call for action. The case study examines the relationship between Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) and Title I elementary schools, as applied in a location that served an African…

Educators and researchers have been exploring alternative approaches to school discipline such as School-wide Positive Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) and Restorative Justice. While these programs and practices along have been determined to be effective in reducing instances of discipline disproportionality (McIntosh et. al., 2018; Stewart…

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs and curricula have emerged as a priority in schools over the past three decades, with greater urgency since the COVID-19 pandemic. While SEL programs may show promise in supporting students' social and emotional needs generally, current SEL practices apply color-evasive approaches, leading to White-centered…

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among the level of comprehensive school counseling program implementation, school counselors' leadership practices, and their schools' Title I status. Existing research examining the level of program implementation and school counselor leadership practices is limited and the representation…

Students who struggle to read at an early age are likely to continue struggling for not only the rest of their schooling, but the rest of their lives. Schools need to begin adopting research-based reading programs and measuring their effectiveness formatively throughout the school year. Research suggests that effective reading programs need to…

Lewis Carroll famously noted that "if you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there". This capstone project joins the dialogue of the importance of adapting the principal preparation programs at colleges and universities to adequately provide aspiring principals the skills needed to lead the work in low-performing…

Community Partnership Schools™ are designed to serve as a positive resource center in their community, staffed with dedicated professionals committed to student success and community well-being (Coalition for Community Schools, n.d.; Ellis, 2016). Following the education model created at the University of Central Florida (UCF), the first…

This study examined the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of an innovative, whole-school reform model, Expeditionary Learning, within the context of the high-stakes accountability policy environment. Twenty-four teachers and four principals were interviewed across four schools, two of which were high poverty and two of which were low…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is defined by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) as the practice of providing high-quality instruction and intervention matched to student needs and using learning rate over time and level of performance to make important educational decisions (2007). Both IDEA 2004 and the…

This single case study examines how stakeholders of a local education agency (LEA) understand and implement state turnaround policy for its chronically underperforming schools. While there is ample research on how to improve chronically underperforming schools, that research becomes limited when looking at turnaround implementation actions that…

This applied dissertation was designed to provide perceptual teacher data as well as summative testing data to educational leaders concerning the effects of implementing Investigations in Number, Data, and Space® (Investigations) in three Title I elementary school settings, two Title I schools, and one non-Title I school. Data collected during…