This qualitative case study aimed to explore teachers' perceptions of the impact of i-Ready on student reading achievement for students in Response to Intervention (RTI). In this qualitative case study, participants were given an opportunity to voice their point of view and perceptions of the impact of i-Ready, including the benefits and barriers…

This study was conducted to explore US elementary teachers' perceptions of their experiences using rubrics as a tool for student self-assessment and metacognition (assessment for learning) to improve elementary students' achievement and their instructional decision-making at a private American elementary school in South Florida. The constructivist…

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…

Elementary school students face developmental challenges resulting in decreased social and emotional learning and academic success. These challenges include outbursts in class, physical confrontations, or low motivation that will cause students to lose focus and fail academically. This research explored teachers' perceptions about the efficacy of…

Exploring the current educational setting consist of persistent and high-stakes testing and accountability, leaving administrators and professional school counselors tenaciously searching for new and efficient methods to enhance students' behavior and academic performance. In an attempt to obtain growth from their students, several schools and…

Math instruction has undergone a tremendous amount of change since the late 1950s. "New math" of the 1960s, the standards movement, back to the basics in the early 90s, and now the common core standards have all had an impact on how mathematics is taught. This study examined the Math Expressions program, a conceptually based program…

This dissertation details the experiences of eight teachers who use Whole Brain Teaching (WBT) in their classrooms. Teachers were asked questions regarding factors that impeded the implementation of WBT, administrators' perceptions prior and after the implementation of WBT, and students' reactions to the implementation of WBT. Since teachers…

The discussion on how to improve students' academic performance has a long and rich history in the U.S. Although it has been a national priority, the debate has centered on the best method to accomplish this goal. Bernhardt (2003) and Shen and Cooley (2008) recognized the importance of teachers, principals, and data, deployed together, as critical…

Closing the achievement gap has been a national conversation for several decades and a priority for educators and researchers. By looking closely at one school which is showing exceptional success with closing the achievement gap for low income students and English language learners, this study seeks to understand how school personnel and parents…

This dissertation consists of three chapters that examine the effects of school and students improvement interventions. The first chapter investigates whether, for whom, and under which conditions high school mathematics and science course graduation requirements (CGRs) affect student achievement and educational attainment. Drawing on data from…

This case study examined a multi-college community college district in northern California in a primarily rural area, to understand how their practices compared to management best practices designed to improve student success, barriers that may exist in implementing best practices, and how the institution may improve its own practices. The problem…