Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted changes to the terms and conditions of teachers' employment (e.g. working conditions), leading school districts to renegotiate collective bargaining agreements with teachers' unions. However, limited research has examined how these negotiations occur in times of crisis. This study aims to analyze how school…

The Principal is arguably the most influential person on a school campus. If a unified school district employs principals, they have a centralized support system to assist them in their quest to advance the community they serve. This work uses a phenomenological approach to investigate the perception principals have towards the support systems in…

The St. Louis Voluntary Desegregation program, and its corollary, the Interdistrict Transfer Plan, have existed in some form since 1983. At its height, approximately 13,000 Black students from the city of St. Louis transferred into predominantly White and suburban school districts, representing the largest voluntary desegregation plan in the…

This dissertation examines the relationship between teacher retention and student perceptions of school climate in an urban school district, both in individual school years and across multiple school years. This secondary analysis uses a school-level measure of teacher retention from New York City (NYC) public schools and measures of school…

School learning environments play important roles in students' lives. But when do these relationships form? Previous research on middle school students has identified a strong association between student socio-demographics, school characteristics, and achievement. Yet, few studies have investigated the origins of these associations. This study…

In the United States, sexual violence in K-12 public schools saw a 55% increase in incidents from the 2015-2016 school year to the 2017-2018 school year. These incidents included sexual violence by school employees against students and peers against other peers. The current study estimated the overall weighted average number of sexual…

School districts have attempted to implement many programs, initiatives, and frameworks to promote positive student behavior. However, despite these attempts, there remain inequitable student behavior outcomes in many public schools. Educational leaders who hold the position of building administrator in a public school district in Oklahoma were…

Paraeducators are considered to be a promising pool of future teachers who can help schools address the issues of teacher shortages, attrition and diversification. Paraeducators, known to be highly motivated and familiar with classroom environments, typically have work experience in fields where teacher shortages exist such as bilingual and…

The goal of this study was to solve the problem of teachers leaving the profession early, which has led to the lack of educators in classrooms across the country, impacting various stakeholders, including students, school districts, and fellow educators. Depending on where the school district is located and the students the schools serve, teacher…

Cyberbullying remains a significant issue in school environments, impacting students of diverse backgrounds. The problem addressed by this study was that despite the proven effectiveness of traditional bullying interventions within the school environment, the ability of teachers to identify incidents of cyberbullying and apply intervention methods…

Teacher retention remains an issue nationally (Ingersoll & Tran, 2023). CCSD, a high-achieving school district in Tennessee, sought factors influencing teacher retention locally. This mixed-methods study examined differences in retention rates of teachers in CCSD and used interview and survey data to better understand factors related to…

Teacher retention remains an issue nationally (Ingersoll & Tran, 2023). CCSD, a high-achieving school district in Tennessee, sought factors influencing teacher retention locally. This mixed-methods study examined differences in retention rates of teachers in CCSD and used interview and survey data to better understand factors related to…

Teacher retention remains an issue nationally (Ingersoll & Tran, 2023). CCSD, a high-achieving school district in Tennessee, sought factors influencing teacher retention locally. This mixed-methods study examined differences in retention rates of teachers in CCSD and used interview and survey data to better understand factors related to…

The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of organizational culture on teacher retention in Richland County School District 2 in Columbia, South Carolina. This qualitative phenomenological research explored the participants' experiences and perceptions of the phenomenon under study. This was done by interviewing 12 participants to…

Tracking is the practice of grouping students into homogeneous classes based on their perceived ability or intelligence. It is a pervasive system used by school districts across the United States and, like most widely used practices, it has its proponents and opponents. Through a qualitative case study approach, this study aims to explore…