What is success in college? And what are the implications of that success (or failure) in the life of students after college and for society more broadly? This ethnographic study explores first-year college programming and the potential benefits of diapraxis-inspired instructional methods as a bridge to authentic dialogue for 18- and 19-year-old…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative case study of ten urban high school teachers' classroom practices in terms of pedagogical strategies and curriculum development approaches for college preparation of African American students. Arkansas released a High School-to-College Success Report in 2012 to assess how well high schools…

Research shows that having an excellent reading teacher in the classroom is key to preventing reading difficulties. However, teachers often feel unprepared to work with students experiencing reading difficulties. This can be problematic in a school that uses a multi-tiered system of support for students in which the classroom teacher is…

This dissertation showcases collective sensemaking in action. The study was situated in a larger North Carolina project, in which educators took a systems approach to update the state's instructional guidance infrastructure during content standards reform. Specifically, I investigated how K-5 educators from multiple stakeholder groups--teachers,…

Teacher professional development (PD) is widely pursued as a critical component of overall school improvement. However, it is frequently ineffective at changing teaching practice or impacting student outcomes. While online PD has the potential to greatly expand access to high-quality PD, questions remain about the extent to which online PD can be…

Political skill has been defined as an informal set of behaviors that strive to influence and understand others, interpret social clues, appear sincere and trustworthy, and political skill is frequently used to gain knowledge for both personal and organizational achievement of goals (Kimura, 2015; Ferris et al., 2017). Research suggests that…

This study examined the experiences of building leaders as they implemented strengths-based coaching and feedback, exploring the overarching research question: how do building leaders implement strengths-based coaching and feedback as part of teacher development and evaluation? This qualitative case study involved four assistant principals and…

In this transcendental phenomenological study, the researcher highlights the lived experiences of Black women in rehabilitation counselor education. The purpose of this study was to provide detailed descriptions of the lived experiences impacting the career development of Black women in rehabilitation counseling education, to provide a more…

Children in schools are experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress (Muris et al., 1998), which has a critical impact on a child's ability to learn (Hammond, 2015).According to MindfulSchools.org, there is a clear link between an emotionally positive classroom climate and academic achievement. As a school leader, during an unprecedented time of…

This qualitative case study explored the methods of how one Mid-Atlantic suburban school district implemented the inclusive practice of co-teaching at the secondary level to examine its effectiveness. Two high schools were evaluated through interviews with co-teachers who implemented this inclusive practice and administrators who supervised and…

Despite more funds being spent on technology tools by Lovett ISD for both students and teachers, social studies teachers are not creating lessons that integrate or use technology to transform the task. Instead, students use technology devices such as tablets and Chromebooks as a substitute for paper and pencils. A 2016 curriculum audit of the…

This quasi-experimental pilot study addressed the need for financial literacy services to assist in increasing and providing financial literacy skills development to first-generation, low-income students through a TRIO Student Support Services program. Identification of student needs and support implementation to provide effective services is…

Autistic students benefit from child-centered goals that align with evidence-based practices (EBPs) that meet their individualized needs, however, most teachers are not trained in how to implement autism-specific EBPs. The challenges do not lie with teachers alone. Professional development (PD) providers, such as district or regional autism…

Socially anxious adolescents often endure anxiety-provoking situations using "safety behaviors": strategies for minimizing in-the-moment distress (e.g., avoiding eye contact, rehearsing statements before entering a conversation). Studies linking safety behaviors to impaired functioning have largely focused on adults. In a sample of 134…

The preservice preparation and ongoing professional development for instructors of adult emergent bi/multilingual learners (EBLs) in the United States has been characterized as "deeply uneven," lacking uniformity, consistent academic rigor, and practical application to bolster instructors' feelings of self-efficacy and agency in…