This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examines what influences 7th and 8th grade rural middle school students to consider a potential career trajectory. Phase One of the study includes a demographic and career cluster interest survey of 38 participants. Phase Two of the study focused on 23 of the 38 Phase One participants, who were…

Educators rely on a conglomeration of assessment instruments to appraise, measure, monitor, and document evidence of students' academic readiness, learning progressions, acquisition of interdisciplinary knowledge, and extensive educational needs. The Mississippi Academic Assessment Program for Mathematics (MAAP-M) and the i-Ready Assessment…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions to teaching and learning. In March 2020, COVID-19 pandemic was recognized as a life-threatening virus, therefore, schools across the United States of America had an induced lockdown, which prevented the continuation of in-person learning. Adjustments, quickly, were made to the learning…

This study examined whether the intensive reading intervention affects annual reading level growth in middle school students to mitigate reading loss from the COVID19 school closures. Participants included struggling middle school readers (N = 101) from a rural district in east Texas. Student participant Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)…

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has implemented a student accountability system that measures students' performance on State of Texas Assessment for Academic Readiness (STAAR) in several content areas. How students perform determines the accountability ratings that will be assigned to every school district in Texas. Therefore, teachers and…

Math anxiety levels directly and negatively impact student performance in the math classroom. Educators must work to implement instructional strategies that effectively reduce math anxiety and improve student math performance. This study evaluated mastery learning interventions as an effective tool for reducing math anxiety among middle school…

Cognitive development of eighth-grade students, as identified by Jean Piaget, occurs during a time when many of them are transitioning between concrete operations and formal operations where the ability to think in abstract concepts becomes possible. Because of this period of transition, many eighth-grade students find difficulty in demonstrating…

Student' achievement in science can be affected by teacher subject matter knowledge, ineffective instructional methods, and lack of student engagement. Although all schools provide professional development opportunities, not all teachers choose to engage in a program that provides teaching and learning through experiential techniques for the…

Professional development training is a crucial aspect of educational institutions worldwide, but its role in shaping and enhancing school culture is not always well-defined. This study explores the effects of professional development training on student-to-staff connections, students' sense of security, and their perception of safety within a…

The purpose of this study was to determine if a selected set of school-related variables predicted whether middle schools on opposite ends of the school size spectrum--rural and major urban--were able to meet or exceed the average passing rate on the 8th grade State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading exams. The "Texas…

Researchers found that the integration of internet technology into K-12 classrooms can improve student outcomes. Self-reported statements from 15 teachers and district survey results at the local setting, a rural school in a Southern state, indicated that sixth- through eighth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) teachers were not making effective…

Through this research, 51 administration traits (which encompasses character attributes, leadership responsibilities, biological factors, and professional factors) were listed in order from most impactful to least impactful by sending out the Administration Traits Questionnaire to 3 rural school districts in the Midwest part of the United States…

Nationwide, middle school students are transitioning to high school without being able to read at grade level. This occurs despite schools adopting Response to Intervention systems to provide additional reading instruction to those who are reading below grade-level. This study examined students' posttest reading comprehension scores to determine…

Since the early 1980's, a push for equitable learning practices has resulted in the creation of culturally centered pedagogy to counter educational disparities targeting marginalized populations across disciplines--particularly within the Black/African American community. More recently, scholarship centering on race in science education, language…

Although there are several comprehensive measures of children's anxiety symptoms, many have limited utility for screening within school settings. As such, the primary purpose of this dissertation was to develop a brief self-report anxiety measure appropriate for use with students in Grades 3-8. An initial pool of 50 items was developed based on…