During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous challenges specific to educational context resulted in disrupted teaching and learning for students across the U.S. Consequently, accelerating recovery of disrupted learning has become the primary concern of every school district in the nation. Prior to the pandemic, the use of data to guide instruction was…

Flipped learning maximizes class time and incorporates practices such as differentiation and cooperative learning to meet student's individual learning needs. Research showed this instructional model to be promising at increasing academic performance much quicker than traditional instruction. This non-equivalent groups, quasi-experimental study…

Students with disabilities have progressed in achievement compared to their general education peers, but learning gaps remain. The problem is elementary and secondary school students with disabilities have achievement gaps despite receiving specially designed instruction through an individualized education program by an intervention specialist in…

The purpose of this study was to present, compare, and contrast data collected from rural Georgia educators concerning their beliefs and knowledge of the benefits of student retention. The researcher identified the most common areas of agreement and disagreement among educators concerning grade-level retention. Additionally, the researcher…

Instructional leadership continues to be a focus of research due to its effectiveness in improving schools. The understanding of effective instructional leadership has shifted from being engaged in day-to-day teaching and learning to being capable of organizing and managing teachers for instructional improvement. Most instructional leadership…

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative case study was to discover Second through Fifth Grade rural North Texas teacher perceptions focusing on reading and mathematics student achievement gaps resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown affected students not only academically but also socially…

African American males often struggle with reading motivation and reading achievement. The problem addressed in this research study was that low reading motivation in African American males is associated with low scoring on standardized and summative reading assessments. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the reading…

The problem addressed in this study was the current low retention and graduation rates of Black males at community colleges nationwide. The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was to determine the effect of the Black Male Initiative (BMI) on Black males' academic self-efficacy and academic achievement scores. Academic…

Georgia adopted science standards encouraging teachers to use inquiry-based instruction in science instruction in 2016 to improve science exam scores. The problem was a lack of improvement in science exam scores in middle school and high school students in a small rural school district in South Georgia since inquiry-based standards have been put…

Middle school teachers at a rural site in a western state have faced problems in implementing Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts (ELA), as well as in resolving achievement gaps in ELA between regular education students, special education (SPED) students, English language learners (ELL), and at-risk students. The purpose…

Children in under-resourced schools are often subjected to a "pedagogy of poverty," in which their school days consist primarily of independently completing worksheets and preparing for assessments. By contrast, children in more affluent schools often experience engaging, hands-on learning opportunities. This discrepancy is identified as…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of the reading program, System 44, on students with learning disabilities in grades six and seven at a small rural middle school. The middle school implemented the reading program during the 2018-2019 school year to assist students reading below grade level to "catch up" or close the…

This study explored K-4 teachers and school district curriculum leadership's understanding of and inclination to implement culturally relevant pedagogy as a framework for teaching reading, especially for African American students. This qualitative study sought the potential basis that teachers and educational leaders retain from their experiences…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how K-12 teacher perceptions about Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) influenced their use towards non-white students, students with disabilities, lower socioeconomic students, and limited English proficiency students. With the well documented suspension…

Poverty has been identified as a barrier for at-risk student achievement across America. Can personalized competence-based learning provide at-risk students the skills and knowledge needed to close the achievement gap on the state assessment in Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) for students after a two-year treatment? The…