With the recent increase in the number of available options for families to consider when selecting a school, diverse publicly funded public schools are now competing for both students and funding. This study intended to contribute to the available research on the changes at inner-city schools during increased school choice options. The purpose of…

This study addressed teachers' perceptions of barriers faced by inner-city African American high school female students in STEM courses. This qualitative descriptive study examined STEM teachers' perceptions of barriers inner-city African American female students encounter when enrolled in STEM courses. The research questions addressed STEM…

This dissertation presents a phenomenological case study exploring the experiences of Black women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The study focuses on Black women who attended urban schools and pursued STEM majors at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). This study employs a narrative inquiry approach to understand…

In 2009, a major metropolitan urban school district in Southeastern Michigan, under state emergency management, implemented a massive school restructuring plan affecting 100+ elementary, middle, and high schools. The consequences of the plan included a high turnover rate of staff and students, violence at local school campuses, low morale among…

Multiply marginalized learners (MMLs), students with two or more marginalized identity factors (Annamma et al., 2013), are America's most vulnerable K-12 student population. MMLs face significant challenges, including increased opportunity- and academic achievement gaps (Hanushek et al., 2019; McClellan et al., 2018). They are disproportionately…

Some professional learning communities (PLC) are successful, and others are unsuccessful leading to questions about which characteristics of a group of people are important to the success of the community. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the factors contributing to the presence of a community of practice between…

The purpose of this embedded descriptive case study was to describe job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction factors that influence urban teacher retention, along with looking at the influence and role of principal leadership through looking at the State of Texas Attrition Report, interviewing an elementary principal, and surveying the teachers at…

This qualitative study explores the changing pedagogies of 11 urban ensemble music educators as they experienced virtual and hybrid learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following questions guided the study: (1) What challenges did ensemble music teachers face in meeting the current music education standards for students in urban districts…

Oklahoma City Public Schools have battled teacher shortage issues for nearly two decades. Although previous research suggests that teacher attrition and retention correlates with a teacher's perception of overall job satisfaction, there is insufficient understanding of teachers' circumstances for leaving the Oklahoma City Public Schools district…

This qualitative case study aimed to evaluate instructional best practices in reading, particularly close reading components and strategies that can predict student success, specifically in middle school students in an inner-city setting. The implementation of close reading instructional strategies is said to impose a higher level of cognitive…

English Language Learners (ELLs) struggle in many schools in the United States. Instructional leaders and their communities need greater understanding of the leadership practices of principals that can enhance the achievement of ELLs. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine the leadership practices that elementary…

Teachers at all educational levels and disciplines are leaving the profession at a rapid rate across the United States with numbers increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Retention tools and strategies are critical to the success of a school and school district. The purpose of this single case study was to explore urban high school principals'…

Access to an equitable education is a federal mandate to ensure that all students can access curriculum and instruction that is relevant and purposeful. In a local urban school district located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, elementary school teachers are charged with being culturally responsive, but there is little understanding…

Teachers do not have adequate training or support to effectively address challenging behaviors exhibited by students. The purpose of this study was to obtain insight into the benefits and challenges of a collaborative relationship between a behavior analyst and educators. The framework for this study is applied behavior analysis and its three-term…

Because the meaning of literacy is changing, teachers lack understanding of how to teach older students the skills they need to read and be proficient in an ever-changing digital world. Moreover, only 34% of U.S. 8th graders read at the proficient level, according to the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Therefore, the purpose of…