We assessed the effects of a whole-school equity intervention implemented within a school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework on racial inequities in school discipline in eight elementary schools with inequitable referrals for Black students. The intervention involved assessing patterns of racial disparities in…

The effects of childhood trauma are evident in urban classrooms today and adversely affect student achievement. The evidence of exposure to trauma is disruptive behavior, often resulting in a suspension from school. The school social worker or counselor is often viewed as the person responsible for implementing strategies that change student…

The following compilation of papers is an evaluation of academic misconduct in higher education and the methods that can be used to address the problem. The topic is covered in three separate papers. The academic papers presented include the following: "An Evaluation of Academic Dishonesty in the Online Classroom," which contains the why…

As a result of various academic, behavioral, and social-emotional challenges that adolescents may experience during high school, an alarming rate of students are not acquiring their high school credentials. To address this concern, researchers have suggested dropout prevention efforts should focus on using a comprehensive, preventative, tiered…

Research on self-harm and children tends to focus on adolescent children (12 years of age and above). There is limited available information about self-harm in children ages 11 years and younger. This study utilized autoethnography as the methodology to provide a rich description of the professional experiences and practices of an elementary…

Professional identity development is a complex process characterized by the internalization of the intended profession's knowledge, skills, ethos, and behaviors. This mixed methods study aimed to examine the influence of Level I fieldwork education on professional identity development in master's level occupational therapy students. The MacLeod…

This project looked at faculty accounts of emotional experiences in the workplace. Specifically, this project examined how faculty in higher education spoke about emotions and teaching, the ways emotional labor manifested itself in higher education faculty, and the relationship between emotions and the environment. Participants (?n = 90) were…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how the use of behavioral skills training of behavioral interventions with staff untrained in ABA influenced participants' overall experience and indicated usefulness of the training procedure in the Northwestern portion of the United States. This study was guided by the theoretical…

This dissertation consists of three essays in the economics of education. The first essay considers the impact of charter school openings on student achievement, behavior, and demographics in the traditional public sector. Using longitudinal school- and student-level data, I estimate the effect of charter school openings on traditional public…

Many educators are not adequately prepared for effectively managing the challenging behaviors that arise when including students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in the general education classroom. This action research study sought to identify educators' perceptions at Charter Academy about including students with EBD in the general…

Exclusionary discipline is a consequence of behavior for students who break the student code of conduct. Extensive research about the effects that exclusionary discipline can have on secondary students, as evidenced by reduced graduation rates, has been conducted; but, research studies investigating the potential impact that exclusionary…

Student engagement in the primary school classroom has major implications for academic achievement, school dropout rates, later adolescent delinquent behavior, and adult psychopathology and incarceration (Broidy et al., 2003; Greenwood et al., 2002; Fredricks et al., 2004; Schaeffer et al., 2003). "Soles of the Feet" (SOF; Felver &…

Background: Noncognitive skills are a critical component of human capital and are highly consequential for student life outcomes (Heckman et al., 2006; Cunha et al., 2010). While there is a great deal of debates around what noncognitive skills are, their measurement, and their interpretation (Duckworth & Yeager, 2015; Humphries & Kosse,…

Purpose: This paper aims first to describe the most prevalent teachers' and students' behaviors in synchronous online classes in emergency remote teaching; second, to discern behavior profiles and third, to investigate what features explain the observed behaviors. Design/methodology/approach: An adapted COPUS observation protocol was employed to…

Racial discipline disproportionality is a persistent issue in schools with Black students experiencing exclusionary discipline two to three times more than their White peers, and Black males more likely to be diagnosed with an emotional and behavioral disorder. Interventions that target malleable root causes of disproportionality and have an…