The purpose of this case study was to explore potential gaps in supports for students with disabilities at the K-12 and postsecondary levels. For the utility of this study, the potential gaps in supports for students with disabilities were defined as recurring patterns and differences in federal and state-level laws and regulations pertaining to…

This dissertation traces the way hair is framed in judicial texts about dress code policy in the U.S. between 1969 and 2023. Using 46 court cases from district, appellate, state supreme, and federal supreme courts, the study first considers how dress code is brought to courts over these 54 years, and the kinds of legal claims made in these cases.…

The doctrine of sovereign immunity in Florida has evolved over time as the common law and statutory environment within the state has changed. Public schools and public-school employees enjoy some level of immunity protection under both common law and statutory law. Nonetheless, Florida law creates a duty to provide a safe environment for students…

School leadership has progressed from a principal-led position to a dual-leader position with assistant principals. Assistant principals have stepped into instructional leadership roles and have been identified as overseeing special education (Best, 2016; Gaston, 2005; Walton, 2008). Despite studies determining that assistant principals are…

The social maladjustment exclusionary clause has been a source of contention and confusion for the last 50 years. Social maladjustment has never been defined at the federal level, leaving creating the definition to local and state agencies. Social maladjusted was not included in the original definition created by Eli Bower in the 1960s. It was…

School disturbance laws, unfair disciplinary policies, and law enforcement officers' presence on public school grounds perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline throughout the United States. The problem is South Carolina's Disturbing Schools Law could be perpetuating a version of the school-to-prison pipeline. The purpose of the study was to…

During the 2011-2012 school year, the U.S. Department of Education reported that kids with disabilities accounted for three-quarters of those who were physically restrained, and 58% of these students were placed in seclusion or some other form of involuntary confinement at schools across the country (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). Students…

The concept of an educator being legally literate began to be explored more in depth in 1963 when the first discussions began to occur around the need for greater legal literacy in the field of education. Though research has magnified the concern related to teachers and education administrators not being legally literate, not much has changed to…

For-profit institutions are thought to fill the educational gap when traditional nonprofit colleges fail to serve the needs of an evolving student population. Over the past several decades, the enrollment share of undergraduate students attending for-profit institutions in lieu of traditional nonprofit institutions has expanded substantially.…

Charter and cyber charter schools were legislatively permitted to operate as publicly funded educational institutions in Pennsylvania with the passage of Act 22 of 1997. Examining the tuition payments from traditional school districts funding charter schools and resulting economic, operational, and programmatic impacts on traditional K-12…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictors of undergraduate, resident students' attitudes toward guns on campus and the feelings of safety on concealed-carry campuses at five large, public universities in Texas. Data were collected from on-campus housing occupants in fall 2020 using a new survey, yielding 2,607 eligible responses for…

Focus on instructional leadership for school principals continues to be prominent in educational research and reform, as accountability for student achievement increases. The relationship between instructional leadership and special education needs more representation in research and literature. In this study, a review of relevant historical and…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of "Morse v. Frederick" on student speech in K-12 public schools. Cases meeting the research criteria were selected from federal court districts. Those cases were briefed and analyzed. The results of the research were used to develop findings that were placed into four categories:…

Chronic absenteeism and truancy are pervasive problems that may lead to tremendous adverse outcomes for students. All states have compulsory school attendance laws, and school districts have established compulsory school attendance policies. Principals and truancy officers are tasked with meeting the state-mandated policy to reduce chronic…

Since 2014, 42 states have adopted charter school legislation. Research has been conducted on charter school effectiveness and legislative adoption. However, limitations in the research exist regarding school choice in that studies address inequalities and outcomes at the school level, with limited attention to the state-level policy environment.…