Most children with disabilities receive instruction in inclusive classrooms where children with and without disabilities are educated side by side; however, students with disabilities often experience lower levels of social inclusion, such as lower quality friendships and classroom connectivity, than their nondisabled peers. Little is known about…

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the experiences and literacy development of elementary students receiving Tier 2 reading intervention services. Specifically, this qualitative case study explored the questions of: (a) In what ways are third- and fourth-grade students who are receiving Tier 2 reading intervention experiencing their…

The Critical Literacy (CritLit) project promotes using critical texts to engage readers in examining their lived experiences and understanding of social justice issues. This study used a qualitative participatory approach with a narrative design to research the students' engagement in a book club using critical texts. Participants were fourth- and…

This study is a journey through the academic lives of 4th-grade Black males in one Central Arkansas school district. This study aimed to investigate certain behavioral variables that may impede the learning and achievement of fourth-grade Black males in Central Arkansas. In the study, groups were established by ethnicity and gender and their test…

Children throughout the United States often experience negative emotions that stem from childhood trauma in the home environment. Does trauma affect the development of the brain resulting in misbehavior and academic underachievement? The study will examine behavior and academic achievement in grades 4-6 for students experiencing childhood trauma.…

The opportunity gap continues to widen in the U.S. education setting due to the ever-growing diversification of student populations resulting in part from increasing numbers of BIPOC students in schools. Meanwhile, most educators continue to be White middle-class females. In this study, fourth- and fifth-grade students at a K-8 charter school were…

Current educational practices acknowledge student and staff social-emotional needs; however, there is also an emphasis placed on student compliance and achievement. Impersonal, test-driven approaches and the recent demands of a teaching career can cause teacher-student relationships to suffer. The emphasis on data, rigor, and accountability,…

This ethnographic case study investigated literacy instruction and intervention practices within a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework in upper elementary school. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support has been proposed as a system of schoolwide reform aimed to support students' academic and social-emotional development and is often used…

This qualitative, phenomenological study investigated the perspectives of successful Limited English Proficient (LEP) students along with their parents and teachers. Narrative inquiry was used to collect data and template analysis was used to triangulate trends. A purposeful snowball sample of six 4 th grade students that have been identified as…

This study, conducted at an urban public school, explored the engagements of five, fourth grade, African American students who struggled with reading in school as they participated in critical literacy practices and social action projects with the assumption that critical analysis of written texts and concrete social actions were necessary for…

This study explores the experiences of 4th grade students in an inquiry-based space science classroom. At the heart of the study lies the essential question: What is the lived experience of children engaged in the process of space science inquiry? Through the methodology of phenomenological inquiry, the author investigates the essence of the lived…

As a group, African American males face some pervasive obstacles to school success. Collectively they are expelled, suspended, disciplined, retained, and referred to special education at disproportionately high percentages when compared to their peers. As a result of this persistent treatment, African American males have a tendency to disidentify…