To stay up with society and technology, pedagogical changes are needed. Even a well-designed curriculum depends on teachers, who implement it. Knowledge drives this field's educators' actions. This dissertation examined how the Southwest New Mexico Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMS) program affects elementary mathematics teachers' PCK.…

This paper reports the results of a randomized controlled trial evaluating "We Have Skills," a brief curriculum designed to teach early elementary students academic and social skills as well as improve teacher efficacy in classroom management. Intervention efficacy was tested with 127 teachers, randomly assigned to condition, and 2,817…

This qualitative study identified the culturally responsive school leadership practices implemented by principals serving in elementary schools with bilingual education programs in Southern New Mexico. By utilizing a phenomenological approach, this research revealed four major themes. These themes include (1) use of parental voice in school…

This study highlighted the school collaboration and process involved in implementing Tier 1 reading instruction in a rural school in New Mexico and measured the efficacy of this model on student outcomes. Our participants included seven elementary grade teachers, two special educators, one principal, and 106 students in Grades K-6. Our process…

The current brief provides an overview of the 2021-2022 school year student-to-school psychologist ratio for every United States territory, using the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) counts of school psychologists. In addition to this, data are presented on the percentage change in student-to-school psychologist ratio from the…

For years, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in New Mexico has led an outreach effort called "Mission to Mars" to engage fifth grade students in applying science and mathematics concepts related to building a colony on Mars. Many organizations across the US canceled similar events due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to increase grit, growth mindset, and self-efficacy in pre-adolescent students attending a K-5 public elementary school in Northwest New Mexico by implementing intervention activities in which students were given opportunities to learn and develop grit and growth mindset, thus resulting in improved…

Educator leadership requires continuous development, including extended professional learning opportunities for principals in the field. This is also true for district leaders who likely have even fewer robust opportunities to grow professionally. We conducted a comparative interrupted time series of publicly available student achievement data…

Purpose: Our purpose was to gather and evaluate accurate, up-to-date information on physical education (PE) policy implementation across multiple U.S. states and regions. Methods: A U.S. Physical Education and Physical Activity Policy questionnaire was developed and completed by 4,845 public-school PE teachers from 25 U.S. states. The U.S.…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events occurring in the household or community that hold painful or distressing outcomes for children immediately and in their future (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). School counselors work with children and young adolescents suffering from negative mental health…

Background/Context: Many teacher education programs are trying to build partnerships with local schools to create ongoing opportunities for their candidates to observe and practice in authentic settings. Prior research on university-school partnerships, however, has found that the structure and design of these partnerships have a huge impact on…

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted education systems worldwide, exacerbating longstanding educational disparities, particularly concerning technology access and utilization. This qualitative study explores amplified technology inequities in rural New Mexico education, capturing students' experiences through the lens of teachers. Using a…

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began its effect on public school education. With online classes, students without remote access, and teachers with little to no experience in technology-based instruction, students, parents, and teachers were navigating the unknown. We have returned to campus, and routines are back in place, but education will…

"Martinez Elementary" teachers participated in professional development activities during the 2021-22 school year to learn about the Discursive Mathematics Protocol (DMP), a problem-solving based instructional protocol designed specifically for use with multilingual learners (MLs). These activities included training sessions designed to…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how teachers describe their experiences and perceptions of professional development. Experiential learning theory drove two research questions: (1) How do elementary public school teachers in northwest New Mexico describe their experiences with professional development? (2) How do…