Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the thoughts, feelings, and actions of middle school administrators regarding their school leadership and their influence on the use of exclusionary and restorative justice practices. Theoretical Framework: This research was on grounded by two foundational theories: Sociocultural Theory…

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of parents and educators after the implementation of an immigrant parent program in an urban middle school that lacked parental involvement support. This qualitative study used multiple data collection methods to triangulate the data. Study participants provided their contributions through…

Engaging families in the academic lives of their children continues to be an area that needs improvement in public education. Furthermore, public educators continue to fail at establishing two-way communication practices, as well as providing educational opportunities for parents on the various ways they can help their students outside of school.…

Social justice education is critical work that should be integrated into the teaching and learning in schools. Because this learning is not an isolated event, nor does it solely exist within the classroom walls, family engagement structures are of importance. Both social justice education and effective family engagement involve inclusive…

This dissertation examines the factors influencing the self-efficacy of PreK-8th grade educators in supporting students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in southeastern Louisiana. This qualitative phenomenological study analyzes the lived experiences of educators to identify critical influences, such as classroom experience,…

Social-emotional learning (SEL) involves developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills crucial for success in school, work, and life. This study aimed to explore middle school teachers' perceptions of SEL implementation, the support needed, and the strategies used. It also examined the relationship between these perceptions and…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate students' perceptions of their own Funds of Knowledge (FOK) and the impact that these funds have as students prepare for careers. This purpose was achieved through an embedded mixed methods design with qualitative data collection and analysis embedded within the quantitative research…

Legislation outlined in ESSA (2018) pushes schools to address the needs of the diverse populations within the school community as well creating a place for equitable family engagement. This study focuses on the family rather than the parent. Due to changes in family dynamics it is necessary to incorporate not just the parent but all members of a…

Retaining qualified teachers is critical to the long-term success of students who receive special education services. Special education teacher retention is particularly important during the middle-school years, as this time is a marked period of transition between elementary and high-school that may place increasing demands upon teachers.…

At North Middle School--a Northeastern public school with a large African immigrant population--Black males were overrepresented in disciplinary referral by a factor of three in 2017-2018. A literature review framed by network theory (Neal, J. W. & Neal, 2013) and the concept of the serial stream of discipline (Irvin, Tobin, Sprague, Sugai,…

Principals are instructional leaders. In order to improve their skill base, they need to receive assistance through frameworks, models, and evidence that depicts best practices aligned to the needs of their school. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students are likely to be in every classroom in every school in the…

The recent global pandemic triggered by the spread of COVID-19 left the majority of school systems across the United States moving quickly toward remote learning and hybrid models of education. As school buildings closed, many K-12 school systems adopted a form of whole-school distance learning, leaving students to learn from home and families to…

This correlational, explanatory, longitudinal study sought to determine the combination of community and family-level demographic variables found in the 2010 U.S. Census data that most accurately predicted a New Jersey school district's percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the 2010, 2011, and 2012 NJ ASK 7 in Language Arts and…

This research focused on performance indicators for elementary and middle school students. Performance indicators are factors that could hinder or enhance early childhood education. For instance, poverty affects a child's development and educational outcomes beginning in the formative years, both directly and indirectly through mediated,…

This study involved a mixed design to generate the perceptions of students and teachers about failing ninth-grade students and the impact of learning resources. The participants in this study were a purposive selection of ninth-grade students and ninth-grade teachers in one Missouri school district. The conceptual framework of this study was based…