This phenomenological study investigated the perceptions of Arizona school superintendents in their capacity as instructional leaders. The study bridges the gap in comprehending the experiences and perspectives of superintendents in Arizona schools. The study's findings identified the beliefs in teaching and learning, the challenges and barriers…

Purpose: This study replicates and extends prior research on principal hiring preferences and conceptualizations of teacher "fit." We investigate the specific fit dimensions principals value, the contextual factors informing their fit conceptualizations, and the implications of fit-based hiring for schools and candidates. By shedding…

Ensuring consistent student attendance is pivotal for academic achievement in elementary education. An observed decline in attendance among elementary students in the United States, particularly in Georgia, signifies a pressing educational problem that requires effective interventions. The research addresses the gap in the literature concerning…

The examination of perceptions of district-related community stakeholders regarding governance in an underserved, suburban school district provides a snapshot of key concerns of the age. This research utilized a comprehensive, multi-pronged qualitative approach involving interviews and focus groups to uncover facets of this district's governance…

This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of induction programs from the perspectives of new teachers in urban and suburban school districts. The research uses a phenomenological qualitative research design. The theoretical frameworks for this research are the Motivation Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory. There are eight participants, four…

Suburban school districts are facing new challenges due to demographic shifts. Suburban schools are shifting racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically (Kotok & Frankenberg, 2013; Wepner & Gomez, 2017). With the rise of social unrest in our country, a glaring light has been focused on the inequities in education toward children of color…

This qualitative study investigated the concept of teacher coaching in a suburban Midwestern school district. Using case study methodology, the researcher sought to better understand what the term "teacher coaching" means, why more teachers do not engage in teacher coaching opportunities, and what the necessary conditions are for…

The purpose of the current qualitative study was to determine the professional needs of new teachers as identified by stakeholders using educational design research (EDR) methods and determine the content and structure needed to further develop the current mentoring program into a high-quality teacher induction program (TIP) with a mentoring…

The purpose of the current qualitative study was to determine the professional needs of new teachers as identified by stakeholders using educational design research (EDR) methods and determine the content and structure needed to further develop the current mentoring program into a high-quality teacher induction program (TIP) with a mentoring…

This mixed methods study, which implemented an explanatory sequential research design, investigated the role that the First Amendment Religious Rights (i.e., the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause) have in American Education. The researcher attempted to find out how well versed or not educational leaders were when facing First…

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to interpret the lived experiences of K-12 special education teachers (N = 16) from large, suburban districts in Illinois who have persisted in their positions beyond four years. Understanding factors that contribute to the longevity of special education teachers is not only vital for…

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental, nonequivalent comparison-group design was to determine if "How to Learn Math: for Students" (Boaler, 2018) had a statistically significant influence on eighth-grade students' mathematical anxiety and mathematical achievement. Participants included eighth-grade students (n = 28) in a…

This naturalistic, non-experimental inquiry explored relationships among life, human life, and place in school communities along with their expressions in school curriculum. I used educational criticism and connoisseurship to richly describe, interpret meaning, evaluate significance, and discern thematics surrounding relationships and how those…

The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the perceived effect that training had on special education paraprofessionals at a suburban public middle school in the south-central region of the United States of America. Qualitative research was conducted with 7 participants, utilizing demographic surveys and interviews. The…

The response to intervention (RTI) program has been implemented throughout the United States as a response to the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA), which requires struggling students to receive a series of intense instructional modifications that are monitored on a continuous basis (Cowan & Maxwell,…