The education of young people is a vital task in a democracy with significant implications for both for young people themselves and for the state. How authority over schooling should be shared and organized is, therefore, a vital question in a democracy. This dissertation takes on that question and ultimately defends a broadly democratic account…

This qualitative case study explores the experiences and sense of belonging for Valiant Region College (pseudonym) students who served as club leaders/officers during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school year. Twelve students total were interviewed either individually or within focus groups and shared their personal experiences, trials and triumphs…

The purpose of this case study was to seek insight into the evolution of the Delran School District, within the New Jersey Public School Labor-Management Collaborative. The Labor-Management Collaborative brings together leaders from New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA), the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the American Federation…

The U.S. schooling system has a long history of failed reforms that lead to schools consistently perpetuating society's inequities. Rigid organizational structure, built purposely to sustain the life of the institution (as if it, and not the children, were the thing whose life mattered), ensures that even the most well-intentioned transformative…

When teachers collaborate, they amass collective expertise and develop pedagogical content knowledge. Teacher collaboration is often a school priority because of its positive impact on student achievement, teacher efficacy, and teacher satisfaction. Schools also have complex systems in place that impact the effectiveness of teacher collaboration.…

School culture is a construct that proves to be especially important for educational institutions. When considering current research relatable to school culture, certificated personnel appear to be the prominent perspectives captured, suggesting that certificated personnel have derived the concept of school culture. This then raises the question:…

Two studies investigated the effect of departmentalized instruction on ELA and math achievement among 5th grade students in a large, urban school district. In 84% of the findings from the two studies combined, students in departmentalized classrooms produced significantly higher scores in ELA and mathematics, relative to students in generalized…

Students with special needs are being educated alongside their general education peers at a growing rate. With this increase and the movement towards inclusive classrooms, teacher perceptions are critical to analyze to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills that are needed to instruct students with and without disabilities.…

This dissertation includes three chapters on industrial organization and the economics of education, centered around New York City's public high school choice procedure. In the first chapter, I document evidence of informational frictions in the usage of the public high school choice in New York City and the patterns of racial disparities. The…

The current study seeks to identify a possible connection between the consolidation and reorganization of public school districts and schools and state-level legislation throughout the United States from 1993 through 2012. A mixed methods approach was utilized. Quantitative analysis of statewide public school district data identified states…

This is a phenomenological case study of teachers at an independent high school in New England during the COVID era. It includes analysis of their recollections of their experiences during the emergency remote shutdown in 2020, and also of their experiences during the 2020-2021 school year, in which they worked under a difficult and complicated…

This qualitative case study assessed the need for a Catholic Education Center (CEC) for Catholic school principals within the United States. The research questions that were addressed were: 1) How have Catholic school principals experienced support around complex and controversial issues when conflicting viewpoints exist between school and Church…

The success of school communities and their stakeholders is determined by the leadership at the helm of the organization, as the arc of decision-making lies within their hands. Therefore, an analysis of principals' decision-making processes and their potential impact is of great significance. In the realm of decision-making, "systems thinking…

This study examined the impact that PLCs, communication, and the playbook had on a kindergarten through Grade 5 school merger in a suburban attendance zone. This merger involved two former elementary schools in the southeastern United States. The school merger created a new school model with a pre-K through Grade 2 school and a Grade 3 through…

This explanatory mixed methods research study was designed to utilize teacher perspectives to investigate methods by which principals develop and maintain teacher collective efficacy in their schools through enabling school structures. The research utilized quantitative surveys given to teachers in selected high schools followed by interviews with…