In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a mandatory shift from in-person instruction to online learning for many young children. Teachers needed to adjust to virtual teaching, children were isolated from their peers, and parents played a bigger role in learning during the pandemic. In 2021, the shift back to in-person learning occurred. Research has…

Each year in New York state, tens of thousands of student-athletes participate in interscholastic athletics on over 15,000 public school teams. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interscholastic athletic participation rates in New York state public schools and their relationship to school districts'…

Transition planning is an essential component of special education for students transitioning from high school to the adult world. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the ways in which transition education is implemented and has been a catalyst for change and potential improvement in transition education practices. Research is just beginning to…

The COVID disruption fueled the frequency of instructional decisions. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to investigate award-winning faculty's instructional decisions and corresponding factors that influenced their instructional decisions. The study was conducted at a private research university in New York State during the COVID…

The regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Act and the New York State Part 200 Procedural Safeguards mandate that parents of students with disabilities be afforded an opportunity to attend their child's Committee on Special Education (CSE) meeting to discuss needs and services. Historically, CSE meetings have been held in school…

In this comparative case study of 22 student-mothers in Georgia and New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, we explore the role social capital plays in mitigating participants' challenges. Using Adler and Kwon's (2002) bridging versus bonding forms of capital, we argue participants turned to their internal, primarily women-comprised networks…

This qualitative narrative study design examined the lived experiences of the challenges special education administrators faced in implementing federal and state guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were comprised of special education administrators from a suburban county in New York state. Half of the participants were from a…

This qualitative study investigated how critical reflection can be incorporated into collaborative professional communities to enact a process of generative transformative praxis that leads to meaningful action on the part of its community members. Across the arc of a series of six collaborative reflection groups that took place during the…

In March 2020, school leaders' roles were unexpectedly and dramatically challenged as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in overnight school closures across the United States and an unexpected and expedited transition to online learning. What role might emotional intelligence (EI) have played in the leadership…

Background: Rural populations in the USA demonstrate a high degree of vaccine hesitancy, particularly surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. Objectives: Following the successful implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination campaign with a rural-based health system in New York state, the goal of this project was to develop a large community-academic…

Significant events such as severe weather, flooding, wildfires, and cyber incidents cause serious interruptions to the capabilities within institutions of higher education (IHEs) to perform established missions and achieve strategic goals and objectives. Previous research has investigated the effects of these significant interruptive events on…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to delineate the moderating roles of negative experiences related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the association between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms and anxiety symptoms and internalizing behaviors during Fall 2020. Method: Participants were 200 college students. Using a…

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted social work students accustomed to in-person learning, forcing a shift to remote education. During fall 2021 and spring 2022, they faced a return to physical classrooms. Few studies have explored the effects of reverting to in-person classes amidst the pandemic. This exploratory study surveyed 135 Master of Social…

The current workforce comprises a mosaic of generations, including Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and the newly emerging Generation Z. This qualitative study provides valuable insights into the professional needs of Generation Z employees in Student Affairs. The aim is to enhance understanding among their supervisors regarding this new…

Thousands of international students come to the US every year and must rely on computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools to stay in touch with their family and close friends back home. In this dissertation, I examined international students' use of CMC tools for communication with their left-behind family and close friends by conducting 38…