The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative research study was to explore and identify factors affecting the performance of elementary and secondary Title I schools in South Carolina. The study analyzed statistical significant differences in the overall performance of Title I schools over three years and analyzed other factors such as the…

This dissertation explored school principals' perspectives on optimal leadership practices and their impact on student achievement in Title I schools. Title I schools with high percentages of children from low-income families often face unique challenges, making the study of leadership practices within these institutions especially significant.…

Historically, de jure systemic racism in the United States and the California housing market resulted in a lack of Black family access to housing in affluent neighborhoods, generating a Black-White wealth and income gap still observed today. Even after eliminating much of this outright discrimination, these economic gaps caused de facto…

We estimate the direct and indirect effects of recruitment bonuses paid to teachers working in rural schools in Peru on their retention and student learning. This is the first study to estimate the indirect effects of a bonus aimed at attracting teachers to disadvantaged schools. This is important for assessing whether the incentive has improved…

This dissertation aims to find a correlation between collective teacher efficacy (CTE) and student achievement. Through a quantitative study, the researcher collected data from teachers in high- performing, low socioeconomic elementary schools, specifically those identified as Title I Distinguished Schools in a state in the southeastern region of…

This study analyzes how bus eligibility impacts student attendance and achievement in Michigan where almost half of the largest districts limit bus transportation to students who live more than 1.5 miles from school. The study finds that while eligibility has no major effect on student attendance or achievement overall, economically disadvantaged…

Despite ongoing debates over the adequacy of evidence regarding the positive impact of costs for instruction on student success, alternative teacher compensation systems, such as merit-based pay or performance-based pay, have already been implemented in numerous school districts across the nation. If increases in teachers' motivation are due to…

Teacher shortages are a persistent challenge in the United States. I evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative pilot program that allowed principals to hand-select experienced staff members and paraeducators already working in schools to lead classrooms. Pilot educators are predominantly Black or African American. Districts reported randomly…

This qualitative study described the lived experiences of twelve Black female principals who currently work in Title I schools. This study set out to determine how they managed their challenges and barriers while leading. Data included one-on-one interviews with participants. The work lives of the participants were situated in Title I schools,…

The current study examined teacher competence and contextual factors associated with teacher-reported stress in low-income urban elementary schools. Using a sample of 106K-5th grade teachers from 14 low-income urban elementary schools, associations between observed use of instructional and behavior management practices, teacher-reported stress,…

This study examines the perceptions of teachers and school leaders from high performing, socially disadvantaged government schools about the value of Australia's national standardised test regime for informing learning and teaching. While many studies report negative experiences and perceptions of standardised testing, few studies have explicitly…

The existing literature mainly examines the impact of academic self-efficacy on academic achievement in educational psychology. Much less is known about the relationship between outcome expectations and adolescent academic achievement. This article applies the random intercept model to investigate the association between Chinese adolescent…

Despite the implementation of reform policies and accountability measures on the federal, state, and local levels, the problem of struggling schools and students has lingered in the United States public education system. New York State has recently revised how struggling schools are identified and how they are held accountable for improving…

The problem addressed in this study was that students in upper elementary at four Title I elementary schools did not meet district achievement standards in science for four consecutive years, which could impede their educational and employment futures. Little is known how teachers in these elementary grades taught science content to improve…

This paper studies how school spending impacts student achievement by exploiting the US interstate branching deregulation as state tax revenue shocks. Leveraging school finance data from universal school districts, our difference-in-differences estimation reveals that deregulation leads to an increase in per-pupil total revenue and expenditure.…