Countless studies have shown the positive effects that critical curricula such as ethnic studies courses and culturally responsive instruction can have on student populations. Yet, the narrative of teachers and their respective journeys engaging in these practices remains an understudied topic. The following qualitative case study examined the…

Researchers have known for several years that when a child is reading below proficiency by the end of third grade, it is likely the child will continue to struggle learning to read through the child's academic career (Dickinson & Porche, 2011; Wasik & Hindman, 2011). Yet, the problem of children falling below third grade reading…

This dissertation examines the effect of a Buddhist-based program of mindfulness, taught as part of the curriculum of a graduate program, on the relationship of teacher-practitioners with their work. Collecting data on the experiences of three cohorts over a nearly three-year period, this longitudinal case study examines the experiences of…

School-based health centers (SBHCs) are a model of healthcare where services are delivered in clinics on school campuses (Kjolhede et al., 2021; Harris et al., 2016), with research indicating the delivery model has several educational benefits (Kjolhede et al., 2012; Arenson et al., 2019; Knop et al., 2016). Research findings supporting the use of…

Alternative schools often receive a bad connotation when it pertains to student success academically and behaviorally. The implementation of restorative practices can aid in the restoration and building of relationships between students and teachers, which can lead to an increase in student success academically and behaviorally. The purpose of…

Overlapping and entangled crises that comprise and propel society require near constant (re)orientation in order to understand, explain, and address the workings of a multiplicitous world. For those invested in education, this means confronting complexity through the prism of teaching and learning. Educational scholars across fields and…

Preservice educators are required to enroll in multiple methods courses to prepare them to effectively teach content to students. With the increase of online teacher preparation programs, methods courses are also being offered virtually. This study sought to investigate the overall attitudes, beliefs, and preparedness of candidates after…

Research studies indicated that learning support professionals, which includes postsecondary developmental education professionals, often lacked opportunities for training to engage with the population of students they work with, as well as current instructional practices and/or reforms. While the research is expansive, it has focused on the…

This study aimed to investigate middle school social studies teachers' perceptions of professional development and its relation to the teacher's knowledge of the subject, teaching methods, and improving student outcomes. The primary questions addressed in this study focused on middle school social studies teachers perceptions of current…

The literature on Black Studies, Afro-Brazilian Studies and Comparative Race Relations between Brazil and the United States has been dedicated to the study of Black activism and education. However, there is a gap in comparative studies focused on Black Studies units in the United States and Afro-Brazilian studies in Brazil. The dissertation…

Rapidly increasing demand for online graduate education in our globalized, post-pandemic, "flat" (Freidman 2007), digital age has coalesced globally dispersed and culturally diverse learners into virtual classrooms, amplifying a multiplicity of voices. Social learning theory (Bandura 1977) emphasizes that knowledge is constructed between…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of newly hired social studies educators currently employed in varying high schools throughout the State of Illinois. Specifically, this study sought to explore newly hired social studies teachers' perceptions of their teacher preparation program, and how…

This study investigated what is remembered about social studies education, how memories can be made useful in current classrooms, and how this knowledge can inform a social studies-to-be imagining future memories. Special attention was paid as well to issues of social justice and how they were engaged in in the past, how they have been taken up in…

This interpretive case study used Black Critical Patriotism (Busey & Walker, 2017) as a theoretical framework to make meaning of two Black men secondary social studies teachers' thoughts on American citizenship, the purposes of social studies education, and the extent to which they taught for social justice amid anti-CRT legislation and…

Special education teachers do not always include assistive technology (AT) in instructional practices to promote the academic success of students with learning disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons special education teachers only sometimes include the use of AT in instructional practices. The conceptual framework was…