Social emotional development is crucial for all young children. Children who develop age-appropriate social emotional skills engage in positive peer relationships, establish friendship skills, and have competent problem-solving skills. Without adequate social emotional skills, young children are at risk for detrimental long and short-term…

This three-article dissertation explores educational innovation in charter schools. A common frame of reference for each article is the consideration of the influence of Dr. Benjamin Bloom's 2 sigma problem--the observation that one-on-one tutoring, though often cost prohibitively expensive, produces outcomes two standard deviations higher than…

As the popularity of growth and fixed mindset in education grows, there is an increasing need to investigate how mindset is actually portrayed in the classroom, especially from the students' perspectives. This dissertation proposal aims to build upon the research conducted in the previous phase of the study. The research component study revealed a…

The utilization of technology in the elementary classroom is becoming increasingly vital in a global society. Teaching during the Coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on all educators. As a result of the crisis, instructors worldwide had to quickly adapt and shift to a new way of teaching both remotely and in person. Educators were asked…

This dissertation consists of three papers. In each paper, I leverage a different quantitative method to study a downstream effect of technology on educational outcomes. In the first paper, I study the impact of an online math learning program on 3rd through 5th grade math achievement in Louisiana. Employing Zearn Math usage metrics and…

A theoretical framework grounded in constructionism and pragmatism theories supported research on learning by doing. This framework underpinned the purpose of this qualitative case study to explore how K-8 STEM teachers facilitated projects utilizing innovative technologies to solve community-based problems. The problem was a lack of connection…

This qualitative case study explores how innovation is practiced within a PK-12 special education school. Data was collected through nine semi-structured interviews of school personnel, analysis of data from the school's website, anecdotal notes and documents from meeting attendance and observations, and photographs of the school site. Several…

Latinos comprise a significant portion of the total school enrollment in the U.S., and an increasing share of Latinos are pursuing higher education today. However, Latino students still face many educational barriers, and research has repeatedly demonstrated that Latino children lag their peers in terms of their academic achievement. In addition,…

In an effort to interest more students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes (STEM), more school systems have implemented maker education in the formal school setting. However, many teachers assigned to implement the maker curricula met difficulties due to their unfamiliarity with the maker mindset and lack of the…

Response to Intervention (RD) has been shown to be an effective method for the identification and remediation of poor readers especially in the early grades. Given the extensive advantages of RTI school districts across the country are interested in adopting such a model however very little research in this area has been completed. This case study…

In an attempt to improve poor academic performance of students, many schools are purchasing interactive whiteboards to enhance lesson presentations. Interactive whiteboards are seldom being used to present lessons. The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare how frequently interactive whiteboards are used by prekindergarten teachers in…