With the rates of autism and the Latino population steadily rising in the United States, Latino families face marked disparities with access to timely and quality care. To date, there is little documented literature for how to best support Latino caregivers of young children with autism. Caregiver coaching is one method to disseminate…

The issue of equitable representation of students from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds in gifted programs has challenged scholars and practitioners alike for decades (e.g., Feiring et al., 1997; Ricciardi et al., 2020; VanTassel-Baska et al., 2007). One effort to address this issue that has yielded promising…

This study provides an overview of the literature of Florida's only Community Partnership Schools™ model, as a strategy to enhance family and community engagement in low performing high poverty elementary schools. More specifically, the focus of this study was to determine to what degree parents perceived the effectiveness of family and community…

The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to examine the elementary education preparation programs of three universities, identifying essential components and features of each program, as well as across programs. As accountability and standards call for teacher preparation to take action and develop stronger programs, this study…

Research has shown that East Asian American undergraduate students are experiencing socialization and mental health challenges at American institutions of higher education. Many do not seek help or are unable to obtain adequate help due to cultural implications or societal expectations. This qualitative narrative analysis explored the lived…

This study explores how a group of Dominican teachers build a professional teaching culture of learner-centered pedagogies by working with a U.S.-Dominican education non-profit organization, CREAR. First, this study uncovers the CREAR cultural logics--the knowledge and know how's characteristic of teaching--that shape CREAR teaching to define…

The focus of this dissertation was to gain a better understanding of how families construct autism. Studies have overwhelmingly used the medical model or the institutional narrative to interpret how autism is understood in families. More recently, a counter-narrative has emerged resisting this medical model. Both narratives, however, simplify the…

This study identified knowledge, motivation and organizational influences preventing the consistent implementation of differentiated instruction via Guided Reading in English classes at a Middle-eastern public primary school in Abu Dhabi. English medium teachers, most of whom hail from native English-speaking countries, were the target stakeholder…

In this dissertation, I present a strategy to develop indigenous teams of leaders at the International Bible Institute (IBI) in Cambodia. The study was prompted by the need for learners at IBI Cambodia to work as a team. In part I, I recount the history of educational development in Cambodia and research instructional design (ID) models to create…

This descriptive case study examined educators' perceptions of the effect of tiered instruction on the reading achievement of kindergarten students. The purpose was to explore and describe current cultural and structural conditions that support or inhibit effective school-level implementation of a Response to Intervention (RtI) model. This study…

School counselors frequently face ethical dilemmas. The American School Counselor Association recommends following an ethical decision-making model when dealing with complex ethical issues; however, little research to date addresses if these models are being used, how familiar school counselors are with these models, and whether they knowingly or…

The role of school superintendent has become increasingly complex. As school district leaders deal with new curriculum standards, increased accountability, and limited financial resources, they are in need of quality professional development tailored to their needs. This qualitative study explores personal, cultural, and structural factors that…

Current theoretical models of distance learning are driven by two impetuses: a technical CMC element, and a pedagogical foundation rooted strongly in the Western world, and driven by social constructivism. By and large these models have been exported throughout the world as-is. However, previous research has hinted at potential problems with these…

This dissertation aimed to understand the influence of cultural patterns on international students' perception and experience with online learning. This case study utilized Hofstede's cultural dimension model as an interpretative framework to understand what are the international students' perceptions and experiences with online courses. Two…

It is often that during their academic pursuits, to become successful, low-income African-American women must learn to navigate an upstream current through higher education, where the established order in the academy is based on Western European values that often conflict with African-American values (Harper, Patton & Wooden, 2009; Phinney,…