Nationally, school divisions are examining data to address chronic absenteeism, identifying root causes of absenteeism and developing strategies to intervene to reduce student absenteeism. A data element often overlooked in school divisions' conversations about chronic absenteeism is the number of withdrawals and school transfers students make…

The purpose of this study was to explore how music therapy faculty navigate the evaluation of undergraduate practica students by reviewing various processes of evaluation along with faculty members' self-reported experiences of evaluating practica students. I addressed the research questions through descriptive phenomenological methodology, and…

This dissertation examined the leadership strategies used by rural, public-school superintendents in the Central Appalachian region of Eastern Kentucky during and following the flood of 2022 that was considered a natural disaster. The context of this study was framed by a 1 in 1000-year flooding event that devastated school districts and…

Significant events such as severe weather, flooding, wildfires, and cyber incidents cause serious interruptions to the capabilities within institutions of higher education (IHEs) to perform established missions and achieve strategic goals and objectives. Previous research has investigated the effects of these significant interruptive events on…

The Sonoran Desert is a magical place full of beauty and wonder. With an increase each year in the number of new families calling Arizona their home, so also comes an increase in pre-conceived notions of the dangers of the Sonoran Desert. Dangers such as plants, animals, and weather conditions can cause fears in families. Though these fears are…

The recruitment and retention of Black male teachers continue to be a national effort. While there is a plethora of research on attempts to solve this critical issue of teacher diversity, Black males continue to represent the lowest percentage of teachers within the profession. This study narrows the research on Black male teachers by adding the…

Many students lack the comprehension skills required to navigate high school and the world (Turner, 2019). This qualitative narrative analysis study examined how the background of Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators' shaped their educational experiences when embedding literacy in the CTE curriculum. The researcher interviewed ten CTE…

Customers in the higher education industry in the U.S. are unable to make value decisions about their educational purchases due to a lack of quality measures that enable comparisons of institutions' academic offerings. In an environment in which all student work is posted online, it would be possible to evaluate bodies of student work to enable…

Latinx students already constitute the largest minority group of students graduating from the United States secondary school systems and projections show the Latinx population continuing to increase between now and 2036 (WICHE, 2020). Both in the United States overall, and within the Appalachian Region, the increase in the Latinx population and…

The problem that was addressed through this basic qualitative study is a shortage of qualified primary teachers in the target school system due to yearly teacher turnover. The purpose of this study was to explore primary teachers' perceptions of motivators and challenges related to continuity in the target school system. Herzberg's…

This dissertation research investigates the experiences of international student-athletes competing in NCAA Division I schools in the Southeastern United States. The study explores the challenges and successes these athletes encounter as they navigate academic and athletic pursuits in a new environment. The purpose of this dissertation research…

This dissertation sought insight into the experiences of queer undergraduate faculty's experiences with colonialism and neoliberalism in the academy. Using the interpretive phenomenological analysis as the methodology, homogeneity of the participants was sought by controlling for location that participants work, Central Appalachia, and their queer…

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to understand the implementation of PBL at a dual language campus on the U.S.-Mexico border (Stake, 2000). Project-based learning in a dual-language setting can meet the demand for all students, especially emergent bilinguals, to receive equal and equitable learning opportunities that promote access to…

Problem: In Colombia, higher education plays a relevant role in developing human capital and equity, giving everyone the opportunity to access higher education. In particular, the government has been supporting public and private universities to open campuses in rural areas where guerrillas, the mafia, and paramilitary groups were fighting the…

The purpose of this study is to explore graduation disparities among students with disabilities in the southern region of the United States and assess the impact of IDEA policy implementation within these 11 states. The intent of this research is to establish whether there is a connection between special education policies and graduation rates for…