In the national expedition for ways to improve PK-12 public education, teacher hiring emerges as a considerable factor in academic achievement. The intersection of federal, state, and district policies, recruitment and hiring processes, decision-makers' criteria and preferences are some factors that impact teacher selection. More importantly,…

Numerous states use research-based mathematics curricula as a teaching tool to enhance mathematics performance outcomes on state assessment scores. Despite implementation of the Eureka curriculum, students at the study site were still struggling to master Algebra 1 skills sufficiently to pass the Louisiana state exam. The aim of this basic…

This study showed extent of rigor at North Louisiana school sites using a Likert Scale questionnaire and observation rubric, derived from the Rigor/Relevance Framework and COMPASS rubric, respectively. Cognitive thinking is highly regarded by educators and employers in a global economy as students use it to infer, connect, and apply knowledge to…

The overarching goal of this quantitative study was to determine if there were significant differences in the Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP 2025) achievement scores of Algebra I students before and after attending summer remediation. The sample size consisted of 581 freshman students from the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and…

This study aimed to determine the perspectives of Louisiana high school students, particularly Black students, on the diversity of the state-mandated Tier 1 English I curriculum and the correlation between their academic self-concept, curriculum diversity perceptions, and their achievement level on the LEAP 2025 English I high stakes assessment.…

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to use Gagne's cumulative learning theory to compare math curricula choice to Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP) math achievement for third, fourth, and fifth grade students in public schools within the state of Louisiana. The independent variable of interest, math curricula choice, was…

In the 1995 legislation establishing charter schools in the state of Louisiana, the Louisiana Legislature indicated their intention "that the best interests of at-risk pupils be the overriding consideration in implementing the provisions of this Chapter" (Charter School Demonstration Programs, 1997). Furthermore, the legislation required…

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a community cinema's media literacy workshop on the writing products of fourth and fifth grade students at a non-public elementary school in Louisiana. Because of the importance of writing skills in academia, professions, and interpersonal communication, and because of the documented lack of…

This research study used a qualitative descriptive design. Its purpose was to analyze high school teachers' descriptions of their experiences with metacognitive awareness, metacognitive regulation, one-on-one communication with students about classroom assessment and pedagogy. American psychologist John Flavell framed the theory of metacognition:…

Once students have mastered the mechanics of reading, they are expected to learn new material by reading. This new material, however, becomes increasingly more complex as students enter upper elementary and especially middle and high school. If students fail to comprehend what they read, they risk failure in content courses such as science and…

Education policy debates over the last twenty years have focused on the need to increase students' test scores. The federal government and states have implemented and expanded a variety of test-based, school accountability policies. Accountability pressures have incentivized schools to narrow their curriculum, decrease time allocated to…

This study addressed the impact of VAM, concerns with VAM data, uses and interventions educational leaders provided teachers, and components perceived as necessary for VAM effectiveness as an evaluation tool. The demographics used for this study were position, school size, and experience. Due to the documented need for educational accountability…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have become a popular reform initiative for schools looking to increase student achievement. School district officials can find it difficult to implement and sustain Professional Learning Communities as some teachers are not accustomed to the levels of collaboration with peers involved. If implemented and…

Teacher certification is an important topic in the history of teaching in American education. Policymakers have recognized that for students to meet high standards, their teachers must also be of high quality (Goldhaber, Perry & Anthony, 2004; McCaffrey, Lockwood, Koretz, & Hamilton, 2003). The National Board for Professional Teaching…

Research in this study investigated the impact of assessment on the learning outcomes of students an academic year and the students' academic success on the Louisiana End-of-Course (EOC) test. This study utilized a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design that included a non-equivalent control group selection. Participants…