This study examined the impact of targeted literacy coaching in the area of phonological awareness on teacher knowledge and confidence, instructional methods, and student outcomes. Three interviews, three coaching sessions, and three classroom observations were conducted with five teacher participants, ranging from grades kindergarten through…

School districts seek to increase teacher retention in response to nationwide teacher shortages. The problem is that teachers who have taught for 5 years or less have the highest attrition rates compared to other teachers, with more than 44% of new teachers leaving the profession within the first 5 years. The purpose of this qualitative case study…

There is an apparent need to identify resource- and time-efficient approaches to supporting teacher implementers of behavioral interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief training and intermittent performance feedback coaching model on teacher implementation of a multicomponent behavioral intervention.…

This dissertation investigated the impact of two different coaching models on student achievement. The data collected was IREAD-3, Indiana's third-grade proficiency assessment tool, and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) assessment data, a formative assessment measuring student growth over time. The study encompassed 13 elementary schools in…

Instructional coaching is steadily becoming a staple in schools everywhere. In elementary schools, coaches are often organized by content or grade level coaching programs. While research continues to show that instructional coaches positively support teachers, research does not address the structure behind coaching programs. This mixed-methods…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the perceptions held by elementary level instruction coaches regarding the circumstances and occurrences perceived as being supports or barriers to instructional coaching implementation at the elementary level. The theoretical foundations of this study included the adult learning theory…

Most teachers report wanting more training and support to teach autistic students. Individual, autism-focused coaching is a promising approach for improving teacher self-efficacy and autistic student outcomes. Given the high workload demands of coaching, it must be feasible and acceptable. This study considers coaches', teachers', and autistic…

Despite the use of literacy coaching to help improve the instructional practices of teachers and increase reading achievement, data of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) indicate that Florida's students are averaging about 60% below NAEP proficient level. This dissertation reported the results of a nonexperimental study that…

Most teachers report wanting more training and support to teach autistic students. Individual, autism-focused coaching is a promising approach for improving teacher self-efficacy and autistic student outcomes. Given the high workload demands of coaching, it must be feasible and acceptable. This study considers coaches', teachers', and autistic…

The connection between school success and the quality of the student-teacher relationship (STR) is especially salient for students with or at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD; Zolkoski, 2019). However, the STR is typically poor for these students (Breeman et al., 2018; Crum et al., 2016) and little work has been done to understand…

This study explores the implementation of the engage2Learn program among English as a Second Language (ESL) educators in the Providence Public School District and its impact on student outcomes over three years (2021-2023). Utilizing Grade 1-5 WIDA ACCESS scores, this study examines cohort differences in change in student proficiency levels before…

This case study examined an approach for sustaining the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI) in rural schools. Researchers, teachers, and district-level partners collaboratively implemented the TRI Certification Process in order to sustain the TRI in one rural school district once researcher-based support ended. Primarily drawing from…

Chicago Public Schools is working to improve early literacy outcomes through a multiyear professional development initiative for preK-2 teachers. The P-2 Balanced Literacy Initiative aims to improve literacy instruction by training teachers to implement effective early literacy instruction balancing systematic foundational skills instruction with…

Chicago Public Schools is working to improve early literacy outcomes through a multiyear professional development initiative for preK-2 teachers. This initiative--the P-2 Balanced Literacy Initiative--aims to improve literacy instruction by training teachers to balance systematic foundational skills instruction with reading and writing instruction…

Chicago Public Schools is working to improve early literacy outcomes through a multiyear professional development initiative for preK-2 teachers. The P-2 Balanced Literacy Initiative aims to improve literacy instruction by training teachers to implement effective early literacy instruction balancing systematic foundational skills instruction with…