Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) provide the best setting for building collective teacher efficacy (CTE). CTE has been identified as having the highest positive effect on student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding the effectiveness of PLCs for building…

The purpose of this action research study was to develop and implement common formative assessments for mathematics teachers to inform instructional practices. To address the purpose of this action research study, the following research questions guided this study: 1. How can the district instructional leadership team support professional learning…

The purpose of this mixed-methods phenomenological study was to investigate the relationship between professional learning community (PLC) implementation and teachers' perceptions of engagement, professional collaboration, professional growth, and ultimately collective teacher efficacy. This research study collected data from elementary school…

This dissertation presents the findings of a qualitative improvement science study aimed at identifying an effective professional development structure to enhance teacher efficacy in the context of post-COVID-19 education. The study's approach was guided by improvement science, a systematic exploration of the problem, facilitated by a driver…

The Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework is a research-based model that yields positive behavioral, social, emotional, and academic outcomes (Horner et al., 2009; Horner, 2014; Mathews et al., 2013). However, schools have reported varied success rates with implementation and achieving desired outcomes. While hundreds of…

This dissertation examines the impact of the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act on teacher tenure revocation in New Jersey. Employing a qualitative content analysis approach, the study analyzes 270 arbitration decisions from 2012 to 2023 to identify the specific legislative provisions that most…

Open Educational Resources (OER) was first introduced in universities as a cost-saving option to traditional textbooks. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Education announced the #GoOpen initiative, challenging school districts nationwide to convert at least one course from traditional curriculum resources to OER. Existing research has focused on the…

This study investigated the impact of professional development support structures for enhancing teacher mastery of Response to Intervention (RTI) in an urban elementary school setting. With a focus on effective implementation strategies, the research explored the role of tailored professional development initiatives in equipping educators with the…

Instructional coaching programs are designed to improve teacher effectiveness to ultimately improve student performance. The role of the instructional coach varies among schools and is dependent on building leadership or the most recent trends of a school district. Inconsistency in the roles and responsibilities of instructional coaches can impede…

The study explores the implementation of teacher evaluation models and federal education policies, particularly AchieveNJ, in an urban public school district in New Jersey. It focuses on principals' experiences and perceptions, uncovering their challenges and thoughts on the policy's effectiveness in enhancing teacher performance and student…

This study explained how Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers perceived the impact of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (SWPBIS) on their self-efficacy for classroom management in part-time career and technical centers. In addition, CTE teachers identified and explained the impact of SWPBIS on Students With…

Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is an approach to teaching that emphasizes teaching within the culture of the student. Culturally relevant pedagogy is proposed to help African American students increase reading achievement, yet research shows it is sometimes unclear to teachers how to implement CRP in their classrooms. Understanding teachers'…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference between the implementation of positive behavior supports and teacher stress. Previous research conducted by Ross, Romer, and Horner (2011) reported that teachers who work in schools that effectively implement Positive Behavior Supports (PBIS) had lower levels of stress and higher…

Student Learning Objectives (SLOs), as a measure of students' academic growth, have been broadly used in the evaluation of teacher effectiveness. In this research I employed a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design and incorporated four studies to investigate using SLOs in teacher evaluation in South Carolina (SC). For Study 1 and Study 2, I…

This Educational Leadership Portfolio (ELP) examines the instructional coaching program at St. Georges Technical High School in Middletown, DE. In an effort to provide personalized professional learning supports for the teachers employed by the school, the program was implemented in 2015 to ensure teachers had access to learning opportunities…