The purpose of the qualitative descriptive study was to explore how elementary and secondary math teachers describe their understanding of the positive or negative factors affecting the creation of effective collaboration regarding transitioning student outcomes in a large southern California school district. The conceptual framework for the study…

Co-teaching requires collaboration between the general and special education teachers. Researchers such as Murawski and Deiker (2008) stress the importance of co-planning, co-instructing, and co-assessing students. With intentional time to co-plan and training, general education and special education teachers can implement a variety of co-teaching…

Each teacher brings different strengths and beliefs to the classroom through instruction. When teachers implement the same curriculum, pacing guides, training, and support, their instruction still varies, as does student learning. The Action Research study sought to improve the connection between teacher self-efficacy and teacher perceptions in…

In an urban city located in a Western state, the problem was that educators are challenged to implement reading interventions to support the reading needs of English Language learners (ELs) in third through fifth grade. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate the perspectives of educators regarding the challenges they…

This qualitative study examined how elementary school leaders from K-5 schools in eastern New York addressed contextual factors in implementing and sustaining professional learning communities (PLCs). Senge (1990) posited structures need to be in place to create and facilitate collaborative communities. A complementary position presents…

Throughout the history of education, educators have created a variety of techniques to best support students. As students with disabilities began to be instructed alongside their peers, new collaborative teaching practices started to take shape. As defined by Friend et al. (2010), co-teaching is an educational best practice implemented in various…

The focus of this study was to explore my leadership practices to improve teachers' acumen and use of research-based Tier 1 strategies to propel student engagement, thereby increasing student achievement. More specifically, the problem addressed was the decline of student performance for students with disabilities in English Language Arts and the…

Research, conducted universally over two decades, suggests there is a significant disproportionality of achievement of housing displaced and highly mobile students (HDHM) compared to students who are in stable housing. HDHM students not only present with learning gaps but exhibit greater challenges in math. The purpose of this critical case study…

This study focused on a problem of practice at Mystic River School (MRS), a kindergarten through eighth grade school in an urban district in New England. Schoolwide diagnostic data showed a significant gap between multilingual learners (MLs) and their native English speaking peers in literacy. An analysis of this data, interviews with staff and…

School ratings are important factors for school accountability, accreditation, state and federal funding and impacts the community view on a school. This qualitative case study was designed to address Professional Learning Community (PLC) for a Title I school in need of improvement. The problem was the lack of teacher retention, and ability to…

Effective inclusive teaching practice enables differently abled students to be educated in the general education setting alongside their peers, providing equitable educational opportunities. The purpose of this action research study was to explore and strengthen how general educators, special educators, and support staff (referred to as…

After receiving tenure, experienced teachers may choose to not participate in professional development opportunities. In fact, tenured teachers may only complete the minimum professional development hours required by their school districts. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the factors that motivated tenured…

During 2012-2016, students with disabilities (SWDs) in Grades 3-5 in an urban elementary school in New York City did not meet the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) standards. The scores had been consistently low for SWDs when compared to their nondisabled peers. SWDs are placed in the inclusion classrooms with an Individual Education Plan…

The issue of identifying, placing and educating struggling students who are developing two languages has been a topic of conversation among educators and researchers for decades. However, there continue to be inconsistencies about how Emergent Bilingual (EB) students who struggle academically are instructed and assessed for special education…

This study was developed to produce qualitative data about the cultures of two high-poverty, high-achieving elementary schools in Arkansas. The research was intended to contribute to the existing information regarding professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination/efficacy as related to student assessment data. The focus of this…