The proposed work focused on the development and feasibility of a project aiming to introduce college readiness skills to youth who were in the foster care system in order to increase their perception of self-efficacy in an educational setting. With this increase in self-efficacy, foster youth who are generally disadvantaged when attaining and…

This capstone project focuses on the use of Improvement Science Methodology to improve the onboarding, training, and retention of paraeducators. The project aims to involve those closest to the work in identifying and addressing challenges through a process of continuous improvement. The author draws on relevant literature around improvement…

Communication activism pedagogy for social justice (CAP) is a relatively new approach to social justice education in the communication discipline. CAP teaches students in the classroom about social justice and then has them engage in social justice communication activism (SJCA), "us[ing] their communication knowledge and resources to work…

This capstone provides college students a virtual open-access library resource that focuses on effective listening practices in academic, professional, personal, and community settings. A review of related literature was conducted to identify research into various listening dimensions and to recognize listening leaders who have an exceptional way…

This capstone will discuss the research and development of a document intended for university stakeholders, defined as community partners. A review of academic literature has shown that experiential learning, in the form of internships, can have a positive impact on student learning and job attainment beyond graduation. The promotion of…

This study looks beyond the student teaching experience into the world of six beginning teachers and how their capstone experience impacted their thinking, practice, and professional identity. Three of the teachers participated in a coteaching during student teaching model (CTDST) and the other three participated in a traditional student teaching…

This capstone will discuss the research and development of a document intended for university stakeholders, defined as community partners. A review of academic literature has shown that experiential learning, in the form of internships, can have a positive impact on student learning and job attainment beyond graduation. The promotion of…

As the engineering education system continuously evolves to meet the demands of modern industry and society, there is a need for a methodology that would manage and resolve the complexities inherent in engineering educational systems. Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is a structured approach to system design that utilizes models across all…

In 2014 the White House held a Maker Faire and began a new obsession for American public schools: makerspaces. This capstone begins with an in-depth discussion about the history of American makerspaces and discusses many of the predominant makerspace best practices and the groups that have researched them. The capstone seeks to create a…

The demographics of our nation's public schools continue to diversify. Less than 50% of our nation's public school students are white, however, less than 25% percent of superintendents identify as People of Color. To that end, retention of diverse leaders specifically, Black Women across all sectors is in decline. The mission of The Surge…

Purpose: Preceptors are relied upon to prepare nursing students during their capstone experience as novice, generalist nurses. There is currently no instrument that measures the preceptor's level of preparedness. The purpose of this study was to psychometrically test a 67-item instrument, the Cap-ExPresS developed during a pilot study, which…

The purpose of this capstone curriculum project was to provide training and professional development for faculty to improve the use of technology skills in the classroom. The administration at the capstone site became aware that faculty were not familiar with the use of technology. To address the concern, the faculty received professional…

The underlining purpose of all career and technical education (CTE) strives to prepare students for the world of work. Schools throughout the country offer CTE programs, yet manufacturing, healthcare, and STEM industries struggle to fill entry-level employment vacancies. This exploratory narrative qualitative study aimed to explore the stories of…

Increasing student access to college has become a central issue in education policy of the United States. Many students from underrepresented cultural backgrounds, if they access college, arrive when not sufficiently prepared. This research investigated the influence of advisory programs within Capital Prep Schools on the college readiness of…

Boston Public Schools (BPS) serves approximately 49,000 students across 119 schools and is dedicated to providing equitable, high-quality education for every student, regardless of background or circumstance. While schools create improvement plans, they can struggle to use them as an adaptive tool. Central office leaders often collect these plans…