Effective teacher professional development is abundantly important for teacher learning and for meeting the needs of students. With many forms of professional development, districts seek to get high-quality professional development to stretch their school budgets. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of members of regional…

This grounded theory study explores literacy achievement among male and female elementary school students. It focused on the perceived gap between genders and teachers' perspectives on narrowing this divide. Despite progress in education, educators still face ongoing challenges in literacy achievement disparities, where gender often plays a…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive research was to describe classroom management strategies inclusive teachers employed to create an environment that fosters students' learning and social development in inclusive classrooms. This study explored the experiences of inclusive educators in the classrooms, intending to gain perspective on how…

This dissertation examines parents and teachers' perceptions of effective parental involvement in education, situated within Epstein et al.'s (2009) framework of six typologies of parental participation. The study, through a comprehensive comparative analysis, reveals critical insights into the disparities and commonalities in how parents and…

Class sizes in the United States had been a topic of discussion throughout history. There had been mixed results on whether class sizes influenced student achievement or not. In the qualitative single-embedded case study, nine teachers were interviewed and given an open-ended questionnaire to determine if class sizes influenced student…

Teacher-student relationships (TSR) have been linked in research to a positive correlation with Student Academic Achievement (SAA). However, few of these studies have used empirical data to quantitatively link TSR to SAA. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed method design model to explain quantitative results through semi-structured…

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 concept of growth mindset--an individual's beliefs that basic characteristics such as intelligence are malleable--has gained immense popularity in research, the media, and educational practice. Even though it is assumed that teachers need a growth mindset and that both teachers and their students benefit when teachers adopt a growth mindset,…

This qualitative study examined teacher perceptions of the evaluation process including informal walkthroughs and administrator feedback in South Texas rural schools to determine whether teachers felt that there was a connection to teacher effectiveness and student achievement. The findings of this study may assist administrators in determining…

The purpose of this study was to understand educators' perspectives of the state of teacher-family relationships with refugee-background families resettled in the U.S. as well as factors that facilitated and impeded the formation of collaborative relationships. Drawing on data from interviews with 42 teachers across three school districts in a…

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2019 assessment results show a drop in mathematics achievement among Hong Kongese students. While several predictors associated with Hong Kongese students' declining mathematics outcomes in recent years have been explored, only a few of them have interrogated the relationship of…

The problem addressed by this study was the academic achievement gap of low-income students. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of educators of low-income students participating in the Florida School Choice program and the perceived challenges they face in bridging the academic achievement…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact of the social emotional learning program, Second Step®, on students' social emotional competency scores and academic achievement using three elementary schools. This study also evaluated teacher perceptions of Second Step® and the observed impact of Second Step® implementation on…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) provide the best setting for building collective teacher efficacy (CTE). CTE has been identified as having the highest positive effect on student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding the effectiveness of PLCs for building…

Dweck and her colleagues (Diener & Dweck, 1978, 1980; Dweck, 1975, 2006; Dweck & Blackwell, 2021; Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Dweck & Reppucci, 1973), have conducted decades of research on growth mindset, specifically related to results indicating a significant positive relationship between student growth mindset and achievement. What…