Engineering, aviation/aerospace, and nursing are top critical occupations in Oklahoma, meaning each area has consistent workforce shortages when compared to the notable industry growth projected over the next ten years (Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, 2023; Oklahoma Career Tech, 2023; OSRHE, 2021; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). In higher…

General Chemistry courses are often challenging for first-year college students preparing for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. These courses are among the STEM gateway courses in which many students struggle to get through, or are weeded out. This is partly due to the use of ineffective study strategies such as…

Research suggests that teacher evaluation systems have promoted effective teaching in many common education classrooms for core academic subjects, but have not been as successful in promoting effective teaching in non-core subjects (Jacques & Potemski, 2013). Technology center classrooms are certainly an example of non-core subjects that may…

Financial literacy rates across the United States are in general considered low. The research question being addressed is whether or not the typical educational experience at OSU adequately addresses the financial literacy needs of OSU students. Low financial literacy is a serious problem that leads to poor choices regarding significant financial…

Purpose, Scope, and Method of Study. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of Oklahoma public school superintendent evaluations. Based on the perceptions of public school superintendents serving in independent school districts in Oklahoma, this study sought to describe the procedures by which superintendents are evaluated. The…

Like a majority of other states, Oklahoma has provided for alternative methods to teacher certification. This study examines the perceptions of principals and teachers regarding the level of preparedness and ability to develop effectiveness qualities of novice teachers from the Alternative Placement Program and Oklahoma colleges of education. The…

The importance of school readiness to both the future of an individual child and society as a whole has given rise to several state-specific indexes designed to measure county-level risk for starting school unprepared to learn. One such index is the Oklahoma School Readiness Risk Index (OK SRRI), comprised of indicators known to be associated with…

This study examined the presence, allocation, and quality of multicultural content found within 17 textbooks assigned to preservice teachers for early childhood education specialization courses at a large regional university in Oklahoma. A mixed-methods content analysis was conducted to assess the depth, breadth and instructional relevance of 58…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze how high school principals approached developing a collaborative culture and providing collaborative leadership in a large high school setting. The population sample for this study was 82 principals of large comprehensive high schools of grades 9 through 12 or some combination thereof with…

The purpose of this historical case study was to gain an understanding of dropout recovery programs from an interpretive historical perspective. Dropout Recovery is an Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education initiative that provides high school dropouts an opportunity to re-enroll in school, gain academic credit, and participate in…

This program evaluation investigated differences in reading achievement for students receiving Reading Recovery or Developmental First Grade. The researcher examined DRA reading scores during the first and second grade and STAR reading scores from second grade through middle school for students in a rural public school district in Northeastern…

Scope and Method of Study: The study investigated the relationship between performance on the Oklahoma State Testing Program (OSTP) for grades 3-7 and the EXPLORE in math and reading for 586 students. The EXPLORE test, a part of the ACT, is given in the eighth grade and provides college readiness benchmarks and a national percentile ranking (NPR)…

This mixed methodology study investigated the relationship between administrator and teacher perceptions of leader decision making regarding five variables (reading training, reading curriculum, program evaluation, financial support, and student assessment) and student achievement (in the single content area, reading, at the 3rd grade level) in…

The purpose of this study was to develop a quantitative and qualitative profile to investigate whether there was a significant difference in the reading performance of kindergarten students that did or did not attend prekindergarten by examining scores of the August benchmarks on the Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). Using…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the adoption of the Deming philosophy by teachers and use of the LtoJ[R] process resulted in greater academic achievement. Results of internal consistency analysis indicated that the instrument, the "Commitment to Quality Inventory for Educators," was a reliable measure of the Deming…