School principals are uniquely positioned to bring innovative programs to K-12 schools. Therapy dog programs are one such program that has received much attention from educational communities nationwide. The problem is that while several studies can be found proposing the benefits of therapy dog programs in school settings, there needs to be more…

This qualitative case study explored the perceptions of instructional coaches in order to understand the ways in which context influenced their view of their roles and how they supported teacher growth. The theoretical and conceptual foundations for this study include a distributed perspective, a phenomenologically informed lens, and a pragmatic…

This holistic, mixed-methods action research case study aimed to determine the influence of professional development on participants' mathematical teaching practices and how the changes influenced students' opportunities for discourse. In this two-year study, participants engaged in two professional development phases and implemented new…

This study was designed to explore campus administrators' best practices to achieve a campus rating of a B or better in the Texas Education Agency A-F rating system. This study takes an in-depth look at the various roles and responsibilities campus administrators' have to exhibit to influence campus accountability. The phenomenological study…

The response to intervention (RTI) program has been implemented throughout the United States as a response to the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA), which requires struggling students to receive a series of intense instructional modifications that are monitored on a continuous basis (Cowan & Maxwell,…

Human intelligence has been identified as more than intellectual ability since the early part of the 20th century. In the 1990's, attention has been placed on the emotional intelligence of individuals. Emotional intelligence has been identified as a better indicator of success than intellectual intelligence for both children and adults (Duckworth…

This work explores how mission and identity are practiced and understood in a branch campus setting of a private institution. By employing multiple organization identity, exploring branch campus management models and purposes and interviews with representatives of a branch campus, this work demonstrates how mission and identity are created in a…

American Samoa, a U.S. territory, has grappled with low reading scores similar to other mainland schools. As a result, different reading interventions were implemented over the years. The problem studied was that despite using Achieve 3000 as a reading intervention for students in the local high school in American Samoa, reading scores had…

Purpose and Method of Study: This study aimed to identify and describe how Total Quality Education (TQE) facilitated continuous quality improvement practices within online and distance learning programs at Christian higher education institutions. This research was a qualitative multiple case study of six institutions that were members of the…

Individual tutoring is noted to be one of the most effective ways to overcome academic achievement gaps and improve student achievement. The Supplemental Learning Support Program provides academic support to students during the school day. The purpose of this study was to conduct a formative evaluation of the program. A mixed-methods study design…

Great Expectations is a Virginia Community College System program for youth who were in foster care after the age of 13. Foster youth enter college with multiple disadvantages, including being less academically prepared compared to their peers and often lacking social support for their education. A program evaluation was conducted at a specific…

Public school districts are frequently targeted by cybercriminals to gain access to a wealth of under-protected sensitive data. As a result, information technology (IT) leaders in public school districts must implement measures to maintain the security and confidentiality of sensitive data collected and stored by their schools. This qualitative…

In this qualitative phenomenological research, the perspectives of secondary school administrators regarding the tenets of standards-based grading were explored. This research sought to expand the knowledge of understanding the views held by secondary school administrators regarding grading practices as a means to further improve how student…

In this dissertation, I investigated the impact of the involvement of students with disabilities in the ASPIRE intervention program and examined the relationship between student involvement in the ASPIRE program and academic performance and growth. To do so, first, I outlined how I built my perspective for this study in the areas of transition,…

Peer education programs in higher education conduct peer educator training; however, there is minimal empirical evidence supporting the structure and evaluation of peer educator training. The problem addressed by the present study was the inconsistencies in and scant assessment of university peer educator training and implementation. Ineffective…