The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the impact of administrative support on staff mental health. Research questions were created for this research study and were investigated throughout its design and implementation. This research study involved participation from three district-approved schools: one elementary, one middle, and…

The overall aim of the Effective Implementation Cohort (EIC) investment is to increase district capacity to implement a high-quality middle years math curriculum as part of a Coherent Instructional System (CIS) to accelerate learning for students who are experiencing poverty, Black, Latino/a, and/or English Learner (EL)-Designated ("priority…

Over the past three decades, children from low-income families have increasingly been attending different public schools than those from more affluent families. Though recent work has helped us understand patterns of income segregation between districts and schools within districts, we know little about segregation of students as they experience…

Since the standards-based assessment practices required by the No Child Left Behind legislation, almost all students in the United States are "labeled" according to their performance on educational achievement tests. In spite of their widespread use in reporting test results, research on how achievement level labels are perceived by…

The purpose of this study was to identify barriers preventing teachers from fully integrating technology into their daily instruction. This mixed-method research study identified some common barriers teachers faced daily. Sixteen middle school STEM teachers from a rural Title 1 school district in North Carolina participated in the study. The…

McMillan-Dorman, Stephanie Michelle. Examining the Relationship Between Middle School Students' Participation on i-Ready Computer Adaptive Tests and Math Achievement Scores (Under the direction of Theodore Kaniuka, Ed.D.) Despite over 50 years of effort, educators have witnessed a multiplicity of educational reforms make little to no effect on…

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.…

The "defund the police" movement has recently called for the removal of police--or school resource officers (SROs)--from schools. This call is driven by concerns that SROs may heighten student contact with criminal justice or lead to disproportionately harsh disciplinary consequences. This study uses linked disciplinary, academic,…

The purpose of this study was to explore the unique lived experiences of four middle school science teachers from North Carolina and South Carolina during and following the transition from in-person to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four predominant themes were identified from individual, semi-structured interviews of the…

As students transition from elementary to middle school, they often perform at a reduced academic level than their elementary school academic performances. Middle school is the time when students experience changes developmentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. Students will experience personal and academic problems if the school or…

Purpose: We assess whether school start times predict the engagement and achievement outcomes of middle grades students. Our focus on middle grades is important because biological changes in sleep often begin when adolescents are in middle school and because middle school is a time when more students struggle academically. Research…

With a focus on the American context, the study investigates a teacher accountability reform as an expanding assemblage of neoliberal governance by providing an account of physical education teachers who were experiencing an accountability reform that required them to document student learning growth for teacher evaluation. Through stratified…

This report delves into the cost and effectiveness of the ASSISTments program as an online math support tool. Aiming to replicate previous findings, the study focused on the impact of ASSISTments on student learning in seventh-grade classrooms. The report outlines the study's objectives, setting, and participants alongside the study design,…

Although research suggests that family dynamics likely play a role in shaping children's behaviors, few studies focus on environmental behaviors, and none to our knowledge investigate how parents shape climate change mitigation behaviors among their children. We begin to fill this gap through a quantitative case study using matched household-level…

This study sought to identify how teachers perceived the effectiveness of administrative support, induction program support, and mentor support. This study addressed the following research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between the perceived effectiveness of their administrative support and teaching in a high-poverty school for beginning…