Student learning is substantially impacted by the choice of curriculum, and a significant predictor of achievement gain is the level of implementation. The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to explore implementation experiences of primary and middle school teachers of English Language Arts (ELAR) curriculum at a rural school…

Context: Research has demonstrated the importance of teacher quality for student achievement above all other school-based factors (Aaronson et al., 2007; Goldhaber, 2002; Rivkin et al., 2005; Rockoff, 2004). Yet while states and districts have allocated significant resources toward professional learning (PL) aimed at improving instruction (Jacob…

This dissertation investigates the factors contributing to low student engagement in a Title I school located in Southeast Texas. Recognizing the critical importance of student engagement for academic success, the study employs a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore teachers' perceptions of the underlying causes of disengagement within…

Purpose: Our purpose was to gather and evaluate accurate, up-to-date information on physical education (PE) policy implementation across multiple U.S. states and regions. Methods: A U.S. Physical Education and Physical Activity Policy questionnaire was developed and completed by 4,845 public-school PE teachers from 25 U.S. states. The U.S.…

Mastery learning -- the process by which students must demonstrate proficiency with a single topic before moving on -- is well recognized as one of the best ways to learn, yet many teachers struggle or remain unsure about how to implement it into a classroom setting. This study leverages two field experiments to test the efficacy of a program…

Professional developments are routinely assigned to teachers by their administrator based upon administrator preference which can adversely affect teachers' perceptions of administrative support. Ineffective administrative support is a factor in teacher attrition. The problem studied was ineffective professional development required by…

This article examines contextual factors that impact inclusive education in the Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas, United States. Based on the analysis of teachers' narratives, the study concluded that teachers perceive inclusive special education as a student's right primarily grounded in the social justice context of education. While…

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative case study was to discover Second through Fifth Grade rural North Texas teacher perceptions focusing on reading and mathematics student achievement gaps resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown affected students not only academically but also socially…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the instructional coaching experiences for primary and intermediate teachers in a rural public school district located in Southeast Texas. The researcher used qualitative phenomenological design. Purposeful sampling was used to identify participants who were then interviewed individually.…

This qualitative study explored teachers' perceptions and experiences regarding the implementation of the social and emotional learning framework, Strong Start, in a Title I elementary school in southeast Texas. The participants include ten elementary school teachers in Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade. Teachers' levels of experience range from…

The purpose of this study is to examine first through fifth-grade teachers' beliefs regarding whether technology integration relates to increased student academic performance. This study was created to analyze what the most influential factors are when it comes to using technology in the classroom that could increase student academic performance.…

The purpose of this dissertation-in-practice was to examine the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of K-5 elementary school teachers in a suburban Central Texas school on their use of blended learning in the classroom. Before conducting the study, previous research on blended learning was reviewed in the areas of student achievement, student…

Military-connected students experience behavioral, emotional, and academic concerns during their parents' deployments to other states or countries for training or defense of the United States of America. These military deployment cycles affect students with disabilities who struggle to learn at the same rate as their peers. The problem addressed…

Within the United States of America, a few states enacted a new educational accountability system that grades school districts and campuses that is measured by student performance. The state of Texas implemented the A-F accountability grading systems to inform the community and parents about the campuses in a simplistic layout and language. These…

The purpose of this study was to investigate if differences in perceived professional self-efficacy were due to various demographic characteristics for educators in a rural East Texas school district. Participants in this study were full-time teachers within the school district. The district consists of 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1…