Local districts can benefit from a collaborative process for refreshing their master schedules to increase teacher planning time. Alongside national models for organizing the school day, local districts must account for regional factors such as resources, historical practices, community expectations, changing state requirements, negotiated…

This case study examines efforts by Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) to improve math instruction districtwide, starting with a focused pilot at Sierra House Elementary School. Initially responding to stagnating test scores, LTUSD developed a strategy with its external partner California Education Partners (Ed Partners), which centered on…

The impact of academically selective schools on children's learning achievement has received global attention for decades. Despite the persistence of early-age selection in many countries, evidence of its impacts is mixed. This study analysed national achievement data covering 149,072 secondary school students and examined whether academically…

This study aims to explore teachers' perceptions of the role of challenging student behavior and social-emotional learning (SEL). The problem addressed was that challenging student behavior interferes with teachers' ability to teach, and children's academic achievement. The conceptual framework that underpinned this study is the concept of social…

A warm demander is an educator who provides a loving classroom environment while holding students to high academic standards--a warm demander models culturally specific practices, incorporating elements representative of students' culture through their teaching. Educators adapt instruction to reflect the needs of the students. This qualitative…

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic life events experienced in childhood that can have negative and long-lasting effects throughout life. This qualitative exploratory study investigates the implementation of a novel programme aimed at supporting children experiencing adversity and trauma across primary schools in one…

Over the past five years, enrollment has declined at nearly three-quarters of California school districts, and losses are expected to continue across nearly all regions through at least the next decade. The California Department of Finance (DOF) projects enrollment to fall below 5.2 million by 2032; the federal government projects an even larger…

Most U.S. school districts draw "attendance boundaries" to define catchment areas that assign students to schools near their homes, often recapitulating neighborhood demographic segregation in schools. Focusing on elementary schools, we ask: How much might we reduce school segregation by redrawing attendance boundaries? Combining parent…

Calls for evidence-based practice are pervasive. In response, extensive scholarship has employed four categories of research use--instrumental, symbolic, conceptual, and imposed--to examine how research is used in schools and districts. We draw on sociocultural learning theory and empirical data from one school district to newly theorize latent…

This study is a cost-benefit analysis examining an urban district's partial school nurse coverage conversion to full-time coverage. Through a partnership with a health care system, the district received funding, resulting in the hiring of full-time nurses to cover all K-8 elementary schools. Researchers compared the cost of nursing services to the…

The dissertation examines elementary school principals' experiences of getting hired for their current position. The participating principals self-reported leadership skillsets. Next, they were asked to what degree they felt they possessed and were able to display the skillset. The results give readers, and future researchers, a glimpse of what…

The aim of this applied dissertation was to develop a better understanding of how elementary principals in a large school district in the southeastern United States perceive their self-efficacy as instructional leaders and administrators. The pressures of high accountability play an impactful role in how principals view their roles and their…

From academic years 2003-04 through 2008-09, enrollment in WCPSS grew by more than 26%, from 108,970 to 137,607 students. Such unprecedented enrollment growth presented challenges for the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). Enrollment outpaced new school construction and led to overcrowding. In addition to constructing mobile classrooms, the…

This qualitative case study explored K-8 principals' perception of the contribution of job-embedded professional learning on skills and efficacy in instructional leadership, guided by Experiential Learning and Self-Efficacy Theory. The study addressed two research questions: the first explored how principals perceived the contribution of…

Interactions among peers continue to come with challenges from in-person correspondence to communication through technological devices. Research has shown that in 2021, students ranging from ages 12 to 18 experienced some form of intimidation and harassment. Race, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, and disability were…