In the spring of 2020, the academic school year for all educational institutions was tremendously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused great concern with school administrations, teachers, parents, students, and their communities. In the fall of 2020 and the following two years, many school decision-makers responded by offering students…

The purpose of this qualitative explanatory case study is to explain the underrepresentation of African American male teachers in public school education in the state of Arkansas through the lens of the teacher diversity gap and organizational commitment. Participants included 10 African American male teachers who taught in grades K-12 in public…

Most people would agree that proficiency in reading is essential for students' success in school and throughout life; however, students across the nation struggle to achieve grade-level proficiency in reading. For decades, people have argued about how reading should be taught. Many scientists now agree that body of evidence is known as the science…

For decades, calls for an increase in the number of minority teachers have led local, state, and federal policy conversations. However, specific barriers to entry into the teaching profession for Black pre-service teachers have received less attention. Moreover, the minimally existing research on the topic is mixed. Despite being the most affected…

The study explored teachers' perceptions of how district provided prekindergarten influences academic and social emotional school readiness for first grade students in a low socioeconomic school district in Southern Arkansas. Piaget's "Theory of Cognitive Development" and "Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development" were the…

Teacher shortage and teacher attrition has been one of the most sustaining educational issues for policymakers and educational leaders. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of current organizational constraints and principals' authentic leadership on teachers' psychological well-being. Carol Ryff's (1989) Psychological Well-Being…

This quantitative study investigated the impact of leadership behaviors and additional factors on teacher morale across seven schools from three Arkansas school districts. The study utilized the "Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI)" and "Purdue Teacher Opinionaire (PTO)" as measurement tools to explore various leadership…

Social-emotional learning programs and character education models are currently being adopted across the United States as schools understand the importance of supporting the social-emotional development of children and its impact on their overall achievement. This qualitative study centered upon the experiences of elementary teachers who…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Capturing Kids' Hearts professional development process as it relates to student-teacher relationships. This study sought to determine teachers' perceptions regarding student-teacher relationships. The study was to ascertain the effect of the Capturing Kids' Hearts professional development…

A continued lapse in reading achievement of minority and at-risk elementary school students continues to be a great concern for educators. Servant leadership theory is based on the principle of service and placing the needs of others first. Third through fifth grade elementary school teachers from one of the larger districts in central Arkansas…

Using a unique dataset, this dissertation analyzes the relationship between observable teacher characteristics and teacher effectiveness. Effectiveness is measured as a teacher's ability to improve student achievement on a standardized test. This analysis focuses on teachers of math and science at the elementary and middle school levels, as well…

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study aimed at determining if there is a need for professional development for teachers that would positively change their dispositions to teach English language learners. The growing number of English language learners in public schools often surprises teachers who have not had professional…

This study aims to understand the design and implementation of elementary methods classes focused in science instruction by teacher educators in the colleges and universities in the state of Arkansas. All 18 institutions with an Early Childhood Education program approved by the Arkansas Department of Education were reviewed with interviews, site…