This dissertation explores the issue of minority underrepresentation in K-12 educational leadership roles, examining its perceived causes and implications within academic settings. The research utilized a qualitative approach involving detailed surveys and interviews with school administrators from K-12 schools in Western North Carolina, Upstate…

The wellbeing of early care educators is essential for lessening burnout and increasing teachers' intentions of staying in the field. Protective factors related to the wellbeing of early care educators in the field have been given little attention in research and practice but have such a profound impact on programs, classrooms, children, and…

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational study was to examine if a predictive relationship existed between teachers' sense of efficacy and the dimensions of instructional leadership considered both collectively and individually, among K-12 teachers in North Carolina. The Instructional Leadership Model and Tschannen-Moran and…

Environmental unpredictability has become a crisis for the 21st century. In response, organizations ranging from a local to international level are addressing the issues by creating, supporting, and promoting initiatives. An example of a multi-scaled initiative is the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) which recognizes…

Concerns regarding low academic achievement among American secondary school students has increased over the years. While various studies have addressed the issue, not all factors contributing to student success have been sufficiently examined. The problem that was addressed through this study was the persistently low student academic achievement…

Trans community college students are facing increasingly hostile campus environments across the United States in the form of Transphobic language, gendered administrative forms and processes, and inaccessible restrooms (Lange et al., 2021; Rankin, 2003). Using an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) framework, the goal in this qualitative study was to engage…

This dissertation concerns the experiences of international teachers working in North Carolina public schools. As I began exploring this unique population's literature, I realized my limited knowledge about their personal and pedagogical acclimation to American schools. School districts across the nation struggle to locate, recruit, and retain…

As interest in Dual Language Immersion programs continues to grow in North Carolina, the hiring of international teachers has increased tremendously. These international teachers often have not had the experience or training to address the needs of the students they are serving. In addition, pedagogical challenges such as working with diverse…

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, private schools in the United States have reported unusually high numbers of applications from public school parents. School administrators have been required to manage the redesign of the school environment to ensure the safety of students without compromising student learning. Yet, it was unknown how…

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the relationship between North Carolina pre-service music teachers' perceived preparedness to teach online, Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) score, and online pedagogy instruction included in methods classes. An online survey was emailed to members of the North Carolina…

When focusing on the teacher as the key variable in the classroom, professional dispositions are the greatest factor impacting student achievement (Diez & Raths, 2007; Haberman; 2004; Marzano; 2001). The intent of this study was to answer three questions: What professional dispositions impact student success in the learning environment as…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe effective constructivism teaching strategies and approaches for reducing the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students in a middle school gifted program at Stoneybrook Middle School in the Downey-Raine School System through an examination of the lived…

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons are largely invisible in historically Black post-secondary education research and discourse. To this end, LGBTQ students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are often ignored and their voices are silenced, thus impacting their feelings of marginality and…

This study examines North Carolina's past educational politics from the desegregation era as a means to better contextualize its modern-day school pushout crisis. It marks desegregation as the bedrock for racialized school pushout as white resistance to integration proved difficult and at times dangerous for Black students as they entered formerly…

Principal turnover is a national problem with costly side effects. There is a growing interest in this problem of practice. Although more studies are emerging, there is limited qualitative research into understanding why principals are leaving their positions. This is a basic qualitative study examining the experiences of three former North…