This dissertation examines the connection between the English Language Arts Professional Learning Community, data analysis, and research-based instructional strategies to improve students reading levels, as measured by the Pennsylvania Literature Keystone Exam at an Urban High School. It is a mixed-method study. Data were collected from 9th -12th…

In four years of high school education some students do not achieve the appropriate number of credits to receive a diploma. To support over-age, under-credited students, each high school has to intervene. Schools need to find ways to help students receive the credits needed, allow students to go beyond four years to graduate, or drop out of high…

The Science of Reading has the potential to have an enormous impact on historically marginalized groups of students and their ability to read at the same complexity level as their peers. The inability of educators, administrators, and other stake holders to decrease the achievement gap of historically marginalized groups of students makes the need…

This quantitative comparison study was conducted to determine if there is a significant difference in multicultural and social justice competencies (MSJCC) between urban and rural school counselors in Pennsylvania. The purpose of the study was to discover how school counselors in different geographical areas assess their work within a…

In 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) enacted a new law called Act 44, which provided new form of funding for school safety in school districts across the State of Pennsylvania. The study focused on how school superintendents and high school principals prioritized each category in Pennsylvania Act 44 from highest to the lowest…

Students with intellectual disability (ID) tend to have different experiences than their peers without ID as it pertains to the curriculum they receive, the locations where they are taught, and the amount of time they are provided instruction. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the curricular areas and contexts in which high…

A project-based art instillation, with the purpose of delivering a message, provided high school students with authentic learning. In an ever-changing world, students need a highly skilled and knowledgeable teacher to be the guide-at-the-side. This case study challenges P-12 teachers to see students as capable learners. Teachers allowed for…

Teaching youth how to self-regulate is a focus of a trauma-informed school approach. Peace Spaces, including Peace Corners and Peace Rooms, are a trauma-informed intervention used to teach self-regulation skills to students. The current study used a Consensual Qualitative Research design to identify and describe the thoughts, concerns, and…

The next generation of STEM professionals needs to understand interconnections between human and Earth systems to be able to address complex, multifaceted, emerging global environmental issues. Interest in STEM fields and professions can begin in middle school. To educate and connect middle school students to Earth systems and STEM fields, we…

If interactions contribute to identity formation, (Swain, et. al., 2011, p. 87) then there is a socio-cultural component to identity. While it is impossible to label identity because of its ever-evolving nature, attempts can be made to gain insight into a person's perceived actions and use those actions as data for exploring possible identity…

The purpose of this research study was to explore trends in student test performance since the Common Core implementation in 8th and 11th grades in Pennsylvania. After receiving failing grades for the Pennsylvania State Standards when compared with other states, legislators adopted the Pennsylvania Common Core Standards in 2013. Much of this…

Teacher professional agency refers to the ability of teachers to control their work within structural constraints. In this paper, we show how teacher activist organizations can assist in the development of professional agency. We focus on a teacher activist organization in a large urban district in the United States and identify three…

The purpose of this project was to examine the effect of the implementation of the Mystery Motivator intervention as an interdependent group contingency to decrease disruptive behavior in an urban eighth-grade general education science classroom. The study was conducted using an A-B changing criterion design. The effectiveness of the intervention…

Nationally, teacher absenteeism has become problematic, in part, as a result of collective bargaining agreements between teachers' unions and school boards. Additionally, teacher absenteeism is increasingly problematic because the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires schools to meet yearly academic targets in reading and mathematics. The…

The major focus of this paper is a gender-based analysis of school superintendent decision-making and problem-solving as well as an investigation of contemporary leadership dilemmas. The findings are based on responses from 258 superintendents of K-12 school districts in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania collected over a…