Each year in New York state, tens of thousands of student-athletes participate in interscholastic athletics on over 15,000 public school teams. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interscholastic athletic participation rates in New York state public schools and their relationship to school districts'…

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, a high turnover rate of PreK-12 special education teachers continues to persist. To ensure all students with disabilities receive equitable access to a special education teacher, turnover intentions among private school teachers require further insight due to a long-standing gap in research. Using the…

Increasing the racial and gender diversity of the teacher and school leader workforce in public schools has been the focus of policy efforts in dozens of states. Using administrative longitudinal data for all Texas public schools over a 20-year period, this dissertation consists of three chapters examining the role of relational demography and…

Improving educational outcomes and school conditions for historically marginalized students has been a primary goal since the school accountability movement began in the 1960s. However, despite decades of legislation, policy, and enactment designed to achieve this purpose, historically marginalized students continue to suffer from disparate…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of selected demographic factors on the academic achievement of high school students. More specifically, this study was concerned with the effects of the variables gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) scores in Mathematics,…

Many school districts in the United States are facing growing concerns regarding the shortage of qualified candidates for teaching positions. This problem has existed for some time, and its deleterious effects are exacerbated in school districts that have significant teacher turnover. School districts with higher teacher retention can mitigate…

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, this study examined the difference in the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness [STAAR's] academic achievement (Math, Science, Reading and Writing) scores of secondary students by instructional status (Single teaching and Co-teaching). Second, this study investigated the predictability of…

George Washington Carver says all learning is understanding relationships; the importance of relationships is undervalued in the field of education. Teachers and leaders have relationships that are inter-locking. The U.S. could build amazing schools if school leaders could tap into the power of those relationships. Social Identity helps to…

In the three essays in this thesis, I explore the effect of school discipline policies on the suspension of public-school students, in an urban setting. In the first essay, using aggregate data, I investigate the effect of zero-tolerance disciplinary polices on secondary-school students. Capitalizing on a natural experiment, I used a…

The focus of this research mainly centers on a quantitative descriptive overview of corporal punishment practices in the state of Mississippi, but this study also includes a legal document analysis component. This study forms the Mississippi portion of a comprehensive analysis of the demographics of corporal punishment in the public schools of the…

As the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to grow in our country, schools are looking for ways to better identify and to help those who need English as a Second Language (ESL) services (Mossaad, 2016). ELLs present a unique challenge to school districts as some perceive that the federal guidelines are vague, but require school…

The allocation of quality teachers across schools is of interest because of both the importance and costliness of teachers as inputs in the education production process. Furthermore, because teachers have preferences over their workplace characteristics, this allocation across schools is nonrandom. This research examines teacher mobility within…

The key focus of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was to improve public education for all students in the United States, with an emphasis on closing the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students (Kantor & Lowe, 2006; Linn, Baker & Betebenner, 2002). The notion behind NCLB, to close the achievement gap, was praised,…

Goals of social equality, authentic assessments, and effective schools have peppered U.S. educational history. In response curricula, policies, and processes are constantly evolving to meet perceived needs. Nowadays "academic achievement" and "accountability" are of greatest interest to stakeholders. While students are tested…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the conduct implications of qualified immunity in allegations of deprivation of civil rights by public school administrators regarding the First Amendment-student speech. Methodology: Data were collected using the LexisNexis and JuriSearch online legal research systems, which…