Community colleges serve as crucial gateways to social and economic prosperity for millions of Americans, providing opportunities for career stability and social advancement. The success of this educational pathway hinges on the seamless alignment of a college's mission and goals, creating an environment conducive to faculty excellence in…

Even with significant resources and professional development committed to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, some elementary teachers do not feel prepared to integrate multidisciplinary content or implement project-based learning (PBL). Further research is needed for school leaders to shift traditional education…

The problem to be explored in the proposed study will be to determine to what extent public and private leaders utilize scientific evidence-based knowledge, ethical considerations, and public policy in their executive decision-making, particularly during emergent situations. There are numerous examples of where it appeared leaders lacked ethical…

This qualitative case study examined the higher education phenomenon of internationalization from the perceptions of one private post-secondary institution in South Florida. Open- ended questions from a survey and semi-structured interviews were executed. Participants selected for this study were limited to seven leaders and directors directly…

This qualitative case study examines the perceptions of rural school leaders regarding their decision-making and utility of school improvement plans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were used to document the perceptions of four school principals and two district administrators in Celebration School District (a…

School safety is a primary societal concern due to catastrophic incidences of violence and educational leaders have a duty to ensure children's security. School shootings spotlight failures in school safety but educators and scholars cannot use tragedy to bridge the gap in high-efficacy practice. The problem is that school safety needs to improve…

The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be difficult for many students, particularly those with mild disabilities. It's an unfortunate reality that students with disabilities continue to perform lower in terms of post-school outcomes in comparison to their peers without disabilities. The issue of improving post-school outcomes for…

The number of charter schools in operation has steadily increased over the years, particularly in the state of Florida. In Florida, independently run charter schools experience closures or mandated control from Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) for several reasons; therefore, the purpose of this study is to iterate how alternative methods of…

Accountability has pushed principals to use data to drive and inform decisions in schools to positively impact student achievement. Research has shown that principals are the second most important impact on student achievement, second only to teachers. Principals who can lead change in schools based on data driven response have a positive impact…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to understand why alternatively certified teachers choose to enter and stay in the teaching profession in Florida. The study utilizes the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice (FIT-Choice) Model as the theoretical foundation for the following research questions, "Why do alternatively…

In this qualitative grounded theory study, I interviewed participants from and analyzed documents associated with three community/state colleges in Florida. Additionally, I have included the perspective of key informants from the state and/or the Florida College System. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to develop a…

Writing is an essential life skill. It is a critical area of literacy instruction and high-stakes assessments. However, emphasis on writing instruction and assessment has not correlated with widespread writing proficiency. Within this context, teachers experience the phenomenon of writing instructional leadership. Teachers' preparation as writers…

The purpose of this mixed-methods research study was to examine the relationship between leadership, decision-making, and communication styles of crisis managers in residence life at public and private institutions of higher education. Survey and interview data were collected for this research study from participants in southern Florida. The…

A qualitative phenomenological study was used in this study to explore the reasoning behind a parent's decision to send their child to a suburban, predominantly white, private school in the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, where high-income families are highly prevalent. Ten parents of newly enrolled high school students were recruited to…

Acceleration program options have grown rapidly in Florida and have been used to help students pursue an associate or bachelor's degree. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences that former dual enrolled students had with selecting a major and a career. A snowball sampling approach was used to identify ten participants…