This study explored the lived experiences of Black male mentees mentored by female staff in high school school-based mentoring (SBM) programs. Specifically, it identified how their relationship achieved the four components of relational-cultural theory to improve academic achievement and support graduation. According to TEA (2022b), Black students…

This ethnographic study aims to understand the effect of COVID-19 on schools in the United States and Scotland for students at secondary schools. Challenges in education have been immense since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools shifted to "safer at home" policies driving in-person classroom learning to online learning. Early…

This mixed methods research study explored advisory programs in three middle schools located in Southeastern Pennsylvania. An advisory program is a fundamental component of an exemplary middle school yet there are often difficulties in implementing it successfully. Research indicates that a middle school advisory program cannot be successful if…

The purpose of this study was to explore teacher perceptions of providing transition services to high school students with special needs and to understand the variables that act as facilitators or barriers to providing those services. A qualitative research method was used to understand the perceptions of school personnel of transition services in…

This dissertation was designed to answer the following question. What are elementary and middle school principals' theories of action in two rural school districts? Sub-questions included the superintendent-principal relationship and its influence on the principal's theories of action and the extent to which rural context impacts…

Approximately half the students who enroll at an institution will complete a bachelor's degree within six years (Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2008). The majority of the students who decide to leave their initial institution do so during their first year (Tinto, 1993). Tinto reported that the withdrawal rate is highest during the first…

This researcher addresses whether transition planning with classified special education students is being implemented in accordance with the Kohler model for successful transition programming. Using archival data obtained from two high schools, one with a specialized on campus program (School A) and the latter as an excluded site specializing in…

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of biracial students with one parent of African American heritage attending Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) in the South. This study utilized a basic qualitative research design and was comprised of three phases: semi-structured individual interviews, responses to written prompts and…