Kuh and colleagues (2008) use the term "high-impact practices" (HIPs) to describe co-curricular programs that are particularly effective in advancing student learning. The original list of HIPs does not include campus employment, which McClellan et al. (2018) argued should be added. According to the results from the 2019 NASPA survey…

Professional development looks to improve professional practices of education and to enhance the quality of programs in education settings. Researchers and practitioners study coaching as one of the professional development strategies to support learning processes and improve instruction, interactions, and overall development of teachers and…

The achievement gap is a topic that has plagued the education research field for a long time. This persistent quandary is often rooted in disparities along racial, socioeconomic, and other demographic lines, such as geographical location. This study focuses on the achievement gap within the context of the Mississippi Delta. This rural region of…

This quantitative study explores the effect of mentoring on new teacher retention in central Mississippi school districts. The survey analysis focused on six research questions, investigating how mentoring influences retention among beginning and novice teachers. Results indicate significant similarities in perceptions towards mentoring,…

This quantitative study investigated the perceptions and experiences of K-12 teachers utilizing social media platforms for self-directed professional development. Through a survey administered to 111 public elementary school teachers in Mississippi, data was collected to analyze various factors influencing teachers' engagement with social media…

Soaring attrition rates among teachers in public education have led researchers to attempt to obtain more insight into teaching intent to persist in American, public P12 education. Mississippi schools are allowed to join the MDE Division of Educator Effectiveness. This single division focuses on enhancing specific areas: "Mentoring and…

Play-based learning has been proven to be an effective method of learning in early childhood education, particularly kindergarten; Nevertheless, increasing emphasis on academics and assessments has had a detrimental effect on students' social-emotional learning (SEL) and learning development (LD).The problem addressed in this study was that play…

Considering the significance of integrating students with disabilities into general education classes in Mississippi, it is critical to identify the methods by which co-teachers report working together, whether they have obtained the needed professional development, and which teaching model they employ in the inclusion classroom. This data can…

The Morrill Act of 1862 provided the funding mechanism for the modern land-grant college system. In the over 160 years since its passage, the tripartite land-grant mission of teaching, research, and service has become the most recognizable legacy of the legislation. Recent scholars of land-grant education caution against viewing the history of…

In response to COVID-19, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) invested approximately $295 million to support digital learning efforts. This investment, referred to as the Mississippi Connects Initiative, funded state level infrastructure improvement, bulk device purchasing, digital subscription purchasing, telehealth and teletherapy…

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of preparedness for English learners in Mississippi content area classrooms. Specifically, the study examined the feelings and experiences teachers had on their preparedness for English learners. While researching teacher perceptions, the study also attempted to discover the reasoning…

This research study examined teachers' perceptions of professional development needs of teachers on student achievement through 66 (Male=17; Female=49) secondary teachers. A closer look at current trends and research in education shows a link between teacher learning and student achievement. Teacher preferences are an important component in…

Attempting to balance all the aspects of teaching can be overwhelming and challenging without the appropriate measures for novice teachers. The purpose of the mixed-methods study was to examine the challenges and opportunities in teacher retention of K-12 novice teachers in a rural, south Mississippi school district. Novice teachers may struggle…

The purpose of this applied research study with a program evaluation was to answer fundamental questions about the effectiveness of an extended professional development program. The program sought to promote quality mathematics instruction by increasing teachers' knowledge of and supporting the implementation of effective mathematics teaching…

This study used a convergent mixed-method design and a pragmatic approach to examine how professional development (PD) affected teachers' confidence in their abilities to use the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework in a rural Mississippi middle school. Grounded in Bandura's self-efficacy theory, the study aimed to answer two research…