To develop a scientifically literate populace, students must acquire the motivation and foundational skills for success in science beginning at an early age. Unfortunately, science instruction is often marginalized in elementary schools for reasons including teachers' lack of confidence in teaching science and an overemphasis on literacy and…

The highly qualified provision of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act promoted licensure exams on a national level. The present study is an effort to explore the most commonly used Praxis licensure exams and their passing scores. Hypothesized was that passing scores are set at such a minimal level that they are ineffectual in identifying highly…

In recent years, experts and organizations involved in mathematics education have emphasized the importance of collaboration between mathematicians and mathematics teacher educators as a means of improving the professional preparation of mathematics teachers. While several such collaborative endeavors have been documented in the extant literature,…

With the increasing trend of inclusionary educational practices with students diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, comes a need to determine the effectiveness of such placements. This purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and attitudes of general education teachers regarding the inclusion of students diagnosed…

The purpose of this study was to investigate concerns regarding the adoption of online teaching as expressed by faculty and instructors in six departments in the College of Arts and Humanities at King Abdulaziz University. Additionally, it investigated faculty professional development needs in adopting online teaching. The data in this study were…

The implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002 has increased the emphasis on standardized achievement tests. Principals are asked to lead instruction and improve student achievement through assessment. NCLB has sanctions that could include replacing a school principal. The purpose of this study was to look at the level of…

According to Chadwell (2009), South Carolina leads the nation in single-gender classrooms as a means to offer parents school choice. South Carolina teachers who recognize and know the gender differences between girls and boys can ensure that students reach their full potential as it relates to education. The concern is that there are a number of…

Acknowledging the powerful that role formative feedback plays in learning, students who are training for professions in the clinical setting and learn while working alongside professionals in their field report that they receive limited feedback. Formative feedback helps students gauge progress, identify weaknesses, and improve performance as well…

A growing body of research suggests that school leaders and policymakers should attend to the social conditions within schools that promote instructional improvement and student achievement gains. This dissertation uses theoretical and empirical work on social capital to frame three aspects of the relationships among teachers. The three studies…

This study surveyed current third-, fourth- and fifth-grade teachers in two small school districts in the southeast. One school district has initiated a technology initiative in its elementary schools. The other school district involved in the study incorporates technology but does not have a specified technology initiative. This dissertation was…

Historically teachers have primarily operated within the confines of their classrooms. However, school environments have started to shift leadership opportunities that have traditionally been exclusive to administrative positions, by empowering teachers to lead school initiatives as well as holding them accountable for leadership through annual…

The problem. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the perceptions and opinions of psychology professors regarding the accuracy and inclusiveness of abnormal psychology textbooks. It sought answers from psychology professors to the following questions: (1) What are the expectations of the psychology faculty at a private university of…

As school districts' professional development trends shift to meet annual budget requirements, it is worthy to explore the benefits of professional learning communities as they are a potential means for job-embedded professional development. As an advocate for professional learning, Hirsh (2009) stated that every teacher should engage in…

The Internet has provided postsecondary institutions with many opportunities to offer online courses. The demand for trained instructors to teach online has risen concomitantly. This qualitative study investigated the pedagogical training needs of postsecondary faculty who teach online. Focus groups were used to identify the types of training, the…

The primary purpose of this study was to understand how high-quality teachers who began their career through Teach For America (TFA) became resilient while teaching in challenging, high-poverty schools. A secondary purpose of this study was to ascertain how, if at all, the teaching experiences of TFA teachers who stayed in the profession differed…