This dissertation discussed the impact of the North Carolina Tort Claims Act and the history of governmental immunity that has protected school districts and school employees in North Carolina. The research question addressed was: how have North Carolina state courts interpreted the North Carolina Tort Claims Act in litigation against North…

As the face of higher education has changed, the need for a more diverse workforce has increased. It is aspirational and essential for students of color to see themselves reflected in the faces of their faculty and staff. Campus diversity enriches the educational experience for all faculty, staff, and students. Unfortunately, the rate of hiring…

Rising housing cost burdens can impose a strain on a district's employees, so it is worthwhile for school districts to examine the extent to which their employees face those burdens and how these burdens intersect with potential employee exit. This research brief presents three key takeaways from the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS)…

Leaders must be prepared to communicate during times of crisis in a manner that ensures trust and enables the community college to continue its mission. Community colleges underwent tremendous turmoil during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is considered a landscape crisis. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover the crisis…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the impact of administrative support on staff mental health. Research questions were created for this research study and were investigated throughout its design and implementation. This research study involved participation from three district-approved schools: one elementary, one middle, and…

This case study focused on the perceptions of faculty and staff of mental health services at the elementary level in a rural district. Mental health services provided in elementary school settings can ultimately change the outcome of individuals' lives. Many districts in North Carolina lack the funds to hire mental health counselors, and must rely…

Disabled university students, as well as disabled faculty, staff, and other community members, face an array of challenges in conducting their studies and in navigating their daily lives. The authors relay their experiences as disabled members of a university community, and recount the work they did to gather information about the experiences of…

We survey 137 charter school administrators and 129 board members and find that U.S. charter school internal controls are perceived to be relatively strong overall. However, board independence, board communication of internal control responsibilities to school personnel, lines of communication between the board and school personnel, and reporting…

In this article, we explore the experiences of students at HBCUs as they traverse their STEM courses and STEM majors and demonstrate how their paths in STEM are positively shaped by a "culture of family." Our research questions include: What are the experiences of students attending HBCUs and pursuing degrees in STEM? And how do their…

In an era of accountability for educational performance, community colleges should know whether student success is influenced by hiring racially diverse employees. Student interactions with diverse individuals improve student achievement on key performance indicators. This correlational study expands the limited body of knowledge on the…

This Perspective builds on a related RAND Corporation report that describes the implementation of Findhelp at four North Carolina community colleges in 2021 and 2022. Findhelp is an online tool to connect students to resources in their communities to help meet their basic nonacademic needs. The North Carolina Community College System, with support…

Critical Social Justice (CSJ) poses a threat to higher education and to the American way of life. This ideology divides the world into aggrieved minorities and oppressive majorities, reducing people to a group identity grounded in immutable characteristics such as race and sex. It is based on a distorted view of what a human being is, compromising…

To support and enhance educational attainment in the United States, the Lumina Foundation established a national goal of 60% of adults earning a high-quality credential by 2025. To achieve this goal, the Lumina Foundation expanded its funding to the adult learner population in 2017 by establishing the Adult Promise Initiative. The organization…

High schools hold great potential as contexts within which educators implement evidence-based practices shown to change post-school outcomes for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, educators feel unprepared to use transition and disability-focused evidence-based practices. Coaching, as an essential feature of effective…

In this study, I examine the mentor-mentee relationships of low-income, first-generation students and faculty and staff in the Pack Promise program at NC State University. Through this study I sought to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the mentoring experiences of low-income, first-generation students and faculty and staff in…