Many unemployed or underemployed workers find it difficult to attain wages that support them and their families. Due to a skills gap, a program evaluation was conducted using a qualitative case study methodology and was intended to determine the efficacy of a workforce training and education program in Maryland. The study was designed to gain…

Providing high-quality professional learning opportunities for teaching staff is a key responsibility for school leaders that can lead to increased teacher capacity and higher student outcomes. Instructional coaching is a professional development model that has gained in popularity over the past decade. An instructional coach is an individual who…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of two nontraditional (under 40 years of age) African American female principals who work in the Mississippi Delta. Specifically, I focused on the intersectionality of race, age, and gender as identity markers. I utilized purposeful sampling to select the two…

Fraternal organizations are unique in how their very existence is routed in their espoused values, principles, and standards. These ideals spotlight what their organization was founded upon, and how those who associate themselves with the organization should conduct themselves. There are few instances where an organization is forced to be as…

The effective delivery of interactive read-alouds to young children fosters language and literacy development. Such development is attainable only when students can read proficiently and on grade level, starting from pre-k and kindergarten. The effectiveness of read-alouds is highly dependent on how teachers interact with their students during the…

Well-educated and informed elementary educators provide the highest of quality instruction to elementary students. Elementary educators are expected to provide instruction from all academic subjects throughout the school day. As standardized testing continues to be a priority in U.S. classrooms, educators must be prepared to continue to deliver…

This was a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of women who serve as college presidents. Three women, who serve as current college presidents, participated in this study. The first was a president at a two-year community college in the upper Midwest for twelve years and served as president in another Midwestern community college for…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to use an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach to discover generative instructional and assessment practices of teachers in the language arts classroom at a 5th and 6th grade low socioeconomic public school campus in Texas that earned five distinctions or three consecutive years. The study sought to design a…

This study explored the narrative of new Philadelphia Police recruits' experiences within a training program that used storytelling techniques to positively influence their knowledge and assumptions about social justice and fairness. Prior research has suggested that storytelling can be an effective way to engage learners in understanding…

Colleges and universities throughout the country have seen an influx in enrollment amongst African American women. Many of these women are characterized as non-traditional students. In addition to possessing non-traditional traits, these women occupy two oppressed groups in society; African Americans and females. Along with them being a part of…

This dissertation describes a mixed method design study on the social validity of a multi-media job search tool, the YES tool, at a four-year Comprehensive Transition Program at an East Coast University. The participants included twelve students, randomly selected from those who, with their parents' assent, agreed to volunteer for this study…

This multiple case study investigated how teachers utilized C3 Framework-aligned instructional materials created with the Inquiry Design Model in unique contexts. Contextual factors related to how teachers enacted and experienced the C3 Framework were explored, in addition to how they planned, implemented, and assessed C3 Framework-aligned…

Leadership experiences of lesbian, gay male, and bisexual (LGB) school superintendents of Color were explored in this dissertation. All LGB superintendents in recent research were White; this finding, along with literature on LGB identity, race and ethnicity, discrimination, and educational leadership, provided context for two research questions…

Response to Intervention (RTI) programs are designed to support students at risk of failing in school due to academic or behavioral problems. When RTI programs are applied inconsistently due to teachers' resources or knowledge, students may be wrongly identified for special education services. The purpose of this qualitative bounded descriptive…

Today's student has more access to global issues than any previous generation. Nearly one million higher education students study abroad worldwide, the workplace reflects a need to be interculturally competent, and students rarely have opportunities to learn how to thrive in the new global environment. This study explored how higher education, and…