The existing gap between females in the field of education and those in the highest levels of leadership persists, with women only making up 27% of the superintendency nationally. This study, informed by Tallerico's (2000a) conceptual framework, sought to determine how one's own individual agency, educational structures (like sponsorship), and the…

According to two policy reports, students who attend high achieving schools (HAS) are recognized as an at-risk population due to the high levels of stress and constant pressure to achieve (Geisz & Nakashian, 2018; NASEM, 2019). HAS are ranked among the top four at-risk environments for children following poverty, trauma, and discrimination,…

The field of information literacy (IL) suffers from a gap between theory and practice, meaning that librarians, as practitioners, do not adequately use and apply the theory of information science in their work (Hider et al., 2019; Julien et al., 2013; Nguyen & Hider, 2018). Specifically, IL is theorized as a social practice, yet practitioners…

This dissertation investigates the social determinants of STEM curriculum tracking and changes in the nature of STEM tracking in both US and cross-national settings over recent decades in five NCES High School longitudinal datasets and in seven TIMSS studies. Methodologically, this dissertation contributes to the field by developing a consistent…

The teaching force in the United States is largely White, female, and unprepared to acknowledge the significance of being White and work effectively with a racially diverse student population. To better serve students of color, teachers must be able to understand their own racial identity to be able to respectfully acknowledge the racial and…

This case study explores ways that socio-cultural and environmental factors influence the technological experiences of marginalized, underrepresented youth at an urban summer learning program, which supports Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and environmental sustainability education. The study specifically explores the…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to analyze the perspectives of parents and teachers regarding the barriers and successors of educating African American students through a global pandemic, or unexpected school closure. The study researched successful practices and impediments African American students experience and suggested future…

This qualitative dissertation study focused on the perceptions of school professionals in working with transgender and gender queer students. Twelve school professionals were individually interviewed utilizing a semi-structured format regarding their experiences working with transgender and gender queer students. School professionals were…

Trauma informed educational practice emerges as a result of contemporary advances in medical science, technology and national forms of mental, behavioral health, and social service advocacy. It is not known how special education teachers working in the non-public special education setting view the implementation of trauma informed educational…

High school administrators in the Carter School District (CSD) are aware of the negative impact exclusionary discipline has on students, but they exclude students anyway. This study used qualitative methods to answer the following research questions: How do high school administrators in CSD describe and explain their discipline decision-making?…

Cairo School District has a chronic truancy rate that far exceeds the State of Illinois' average. The purpose of the study was to understand the reasons for truancy at Cairo School District. Through data review and semi-structured interviews, the researcher was able understand recent graduates attitudes and perceptions regarding school attendance.…

Teacher candidates enter into teacher education programs with perceptions toward learning, teaching, and education due to societal influences as well as their own educative experiences. The foundations of a teacher education course can also greatly influence the development of teacher candidates' own pedagogical approaches. It is for these reasons…

Based on indicators of educational achievement in the United States, Latinos have lagged behind most other demographic groups. This study explored Latino students' social identity through a qualitative research design that privileged student voice as a vehicle to addressing educational disparities. The research design employed a phenomenological…

This dissertation focuses on the systems and structures of formal and informal education in Ancient Greece under the leadership of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and the systems and structures of education and discourse on social media, specifically on blogs and Twitter. Using historical documentary research methodology of primary and secondary…

Online education has been increasing at an astounding rate, and advocates contend this trend will transform schooling as we know it. The current research has been centered on the student outcomes in online education. However, this myopic focus on outcomes underestimates the broader systemic factors that may be driving the implementation and…