Schools and districts in Pennsylvania continue to experience a gap between the demographic diversity of their students and staffs. Culturally responsive practices are an important approach bridging the gap between PA's teachers and increasingly diverse students and communities. This qualitative study was guided by three research questions: What…

As superintendents steer their districts through uncharted territories, their experiences and strategies are key to transforming schools. This study employed transcendental phenomenology to explore how seven Virginia superintendents from two different regions described their experiences implementing novel cultural competency training. Data…

Research shows that trauma-informed practices in schools can increase student performance and well-being. School social workers are well-suited to bring these practices to their system but are most successful when partnering with public-school superintendents. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to understand public-school…

School choice has expanded during the modern school choice movement and students in Indiana can now choose from several school options including public schools, charter schools, virtual schools, or participate in the Indiana Choice Scholarships program and attend a parochial school. The potential for increased educational stratification across…

School administrators face uncertainties and challenges in implementing nontraditional learning environments that provide high-quality educational experiences during pandemics and crises (Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020; Tria, 2020). The purpose of the current qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how 11 district-level (superintendents…

The achievement gap has a long history in the United States of America which is demonstrated by inequitable graduation rates. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2019, the continued genocide and murder of countless Black and Brown people, civil unrest demonstrated by protests nationally after the execution of George Floyd and countless others,…

The purpose of this action research study is to understand how public school district administrators' leadership styles impact the success of high school Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. I used the action research model which included a literature review, Cycle 1 interviews and data analysis, and Cycle 2 action step…

Superintendents as decision-makers in public school systems, in their roles of both leader and manager, have been the topic of studies for many decades (Waters, J. T., & Marzano, R. J., 2006; McClellan, R. L., Hyle, A. E., & Ivory, G. (2010). However, there is little research regarding superintendents' decision-making related to resource…

The purpose of this study was to assist learner and problem-centered education advocates and practitioners in increasing the number of these educational paradigms within US public schools. Lin's theoretical framework for social capital and a thematic review of school governance and curricular policies in the literature for each US educational…

The purpose of this study is to understand what personalized learning instruction looks like in three school sites from one district. Further, the researcher will explore how district leaders coordinate the implementation of a personalized learning model across multiple school sites in the same district. In order to prepare future ready students,…

During the global pandemic of the 2020-21 school year, school districts rapidly transitioned from the traditional in-person structure of school to distance learning. This research study sought to understand how superintendents envisioned virtual learning as an option within their school district portfolio, exploring the barriers faced in its…

At what point will educational actors recognize the limitations and utilize the possibilities of policy implementation processes to actualize long overdue reform measures for students--particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds? Previous literature has attended to ways schooling processes replicate persistent historical, social,…

The problem statement for this project based learning was that loose-coupling, when applied to the PBIS framework, translates into major gaps with district-wide implementation of Tier II and Tier III interventions. Additionally, lack of superintendent adaptive schools' knowledge and practices impact fidelity of implementation. Tier II and Tier III…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine building and district administrators' perceptions of the Kansas Dyslexia Initiatives. Their awareness and experiences may influence how administrators understand, plan for, and align the current approach for reading instruction within their respective buildings or district in relation to the…

The problem statement for this project-based learning was loose coupling, when applied to the PBIS framework, translates into major gaps with district-wide implementation of Tier II and Tier III interventions. Additionally, lack of superintendent-adaptive schools' knowledge and practices impact fidelity of implementation. Tier II and Tier III…