Mindfulness research is growing as educators and practitioners place emphasis on social emotional learning (SEL). Evidence supports mindfulness benefits are both physical and mental to include lowering blood pressure, decreased anxiety, increased executive functioning, and increased ability to pay attention. While the benefits of mindfulness…

This dissertation consists of two chapters that examine the impact of educational and positive youth development programs on students' academic and behavioral outcomes. In the first chapter, I evaluate the effect of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, a school meal provision allowing schools meeting the eligibility requirements to…

The objective of this project was to learn what elements of a systemic-focused implementation guide are key to facilitating the involvement of families and faculty in rural southeastern North Carolina elementary schools as an intervention to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline for children's externalized behavior in school. Guided by the…

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), schools have a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in addressing mental health needs in their communities (Sawyer et al., 2021). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the impact that the utilization of a system approach has on the success and sustainability of teacher…

The purpose of this research study was to determine if there is a relationship between the implementation phase of Response to Intervention (RTI), an academic multi-tiered system of support, and eighth grade students' mathematics, reading, and science Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) proficiency achievement. Data for this study were…

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…

This study examined how faculty and Resident Director (RD) staff collaborate with each other in a Faculty in Residence Program (FIR) at a mid-sized, urban, private, research university, located in the Northeast region of the United States. This study examined the experiences of these two distinct groups of participants, and ultimately how they…

Colleges and universities have taken on the legislative challenge within the state of North Carolina to engage civically through joint efforts with school districts within counties with dire challenges to improve academic and social and emotional outcomes for children. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of lab school processes…

First-year students enrolling into higher education institutions experience multiple transitions requiring the support of student success programs. Students who enter college undecided about a major face additional hurdles to their success and may experience low academic self-efficacy as a result. A strengths-based approach to assisting these…

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to explore the effect of the school closures due to COVID-19 on the delivery of FAPE in school districts who utilized their FID day models for the delivery of instruction. Education, as we know it, was forever changed in March of 2020. In the age of increasing natural disasters and…

One policy ambition of education reform in the last thirty years has been to push public education beyond didactic pedagogies, basic facts, and rote skills toward ambitious instructional experiences and outcomes not only for students of privilege, but also for students of poverty and color. As U.S. education policy and reform have pressed for the…

COVID-19 disrupted schools across the country. Students and teachers were asked to work together virtually. During this virtual experience the students at Frederick County Middle School struggled to complete learning activities independently. An improvement science approach was used to investigate this problem. Through the improvement science…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between schools' multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) implementation, students' perceptions of their social-emotional learning (SEL), educators' perception of students' SEL, and academic achievement for Hispanic/Latino, African American, and Asian elementary school students as measured by…

As global challenges such as climate change, shifting job markets, and technological advances intensify, educational systems must adapt to equip students with essential 21st-century skills. While countries like Singapore, Ireland, Australia, and Finland have created flexible education systems to meet these demands, the United States faces a…

Dual enrollment allows high school students to participate in college courses, earning both high school and college credits. Although many high schools offer dual enrollment to all students, past research has demonstrated a significant gap in the participation of low-income students and students of color compared to their White and Asian…