Online education is an increasingly popular format of schooling used around the world (Digital Learning Collaborative, 2019). For students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), challenges with executive functioning skills like self-management can have a significant impact on their ability to successfully participate in online learning. With a…

Parenting is a complicated journey that never ends for those who raise children with special needs. Families need to make several difficult decisions about life after high school, and they are often left alone to navigate those choices. Decisions on life after high school are one of several choices families are left to navigate. This qualitative…

The high school assistant principal position is a complex and demanding role. Being a parent to school-aged children is also a complex and demanding role. For high school APs who have school-aged children at home, the ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance is essential to their ability to effectively fulfill both professional and personal…

Public-school choice programs have multiplied over the past decades. Previous researchers have analyzed the significant roles that parents play when deciding what they think is best for their children's futures. Though research has shown the roles and factors over parents' educational choices for their student, there are limited studies on student…

According to the National College Attainment Network (NCAN, 2023), each year, thousands of high school graduates leave billions of dollars in federal student aid unclaimed because they do not complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To holistically investigate this phenomenon, this dissertation accomplished three goals. The…

The present study explored the learning challenges that African American female students experience in their algebra or biology courses. Existing literature does not fully explore this subject, as studies are often inclusive of all races (i.e., all girls in science, technology, engineering, or math [STEM] fields) or all genders (i.e., all Black…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard military parents concerning their efforts to cultivate an environment of academic success for their children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Bowlby and Ainsworth's theory on attachment guided this…

This study applied a descriptive phenomenological approach to the exploration of the school counselor's role in parent-adolescent communication. While there is an abundance of research regarding issues of adolescence and parenting, an inordinate amount of studies concentrates on atypical development. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation is…

Graduation rates are steadily increasing, but students are graduating from high school with inadequate skills and knowledge to be competitive in this global economy. In addition, when students transition from elementary to middle school and then to high school, parental involvement declines. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study…

This dissertation is focused on understanding the expectations, beliefs, and motivations of parental involvement during the college choice process. Many high school students are under a lot of stress and pressure influenced by a culture of achievement. This culture has created a competitive college choice process and has intensified the role of…

The transition from middle to high school can be especially challenging for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Also, students with disabilities experience greater barriers when considering careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Academic interest and social support may play a critical role…

The academic achievement gap has been present in the United States since the start of public education. Different factors have been noted as key contributors to the achievement gap, including the lack of parent involvement. This study investigates the impact that parental involvement has on student achievement, with specific focus on how a parent…

This dissertation studies different social factors that affect students' cognitive, non-cognitive skills, and behaviors. The first chapter provides evidence on the immediate effects of exposure to violent crimes on academic performance and externalizing behaviors among high school students. I find that exposure to violent crimes decreases PSAT,…

Chilean data show that a large reading-proficiency gap exists between students with high and low socioeconomic status (SES), that most children do not see themselves as readers, and that half of adolescents read below grade level (Agencia de Calidad de la Educacion, 2019; Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes, 2014). To understand the reasons…

Problem: Though widespread studies have been conducted on the psycho-socio-cultural effects of family systems functioning on individuals' developmental outcomes, there is limited discussion on the direct correlations between family relational encounters and adolescents' development of faith and life values. The effects of dialectical interplay…