Students present with mental health needs and posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet they largely do not receive necessary services. Since schools are an ideal setting for students to receive mental health services, Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs) were developed to define and detail the ways in which student mental health needs can be addressed at…

The prevalence of late language emergence (LLE) in young children is high, comprising 10 to 20% of toddlers. Late language emergence refers to children who do not use at least 50 single words and 2-word phrases at the age of two. Current best practices for the under-three population with or at risk of having disabilities include the use of…

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) educate more Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students than predominantly White Serving Institutions, yet their leadership lacks representation, especially of Black women leaders. This study explores the experiences of Black women leaders at HSIs. Moving beyond a deficit model, exploring how these leaders leverage…

This quantitative study examined the impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) implementing a "Focus on Learning" in a Title I school in north central Georgia. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact PLCs can have on student growth and achievement in fourth and fifth-grade mathematics, once teachers spend time…

This dissertation describes a project to develop an art-based curriculum to teach young elementary school-age children social and emotional skills in the classroom based on the experiences of experts in the field of elementary education. Social-emotional learning (SEL) focuses on several key concepts including skills in interpersonal…

Significant socioeconomic disparities exist across the neighborhoods where children grow up today, which may exacerbate inequities in children's educational opportunities (Leventhal et al., 2015; Leventhal & Dupere, 2019; Mijs & Roe, 2021; Reardon et al., 2018). Prior research documents associations between neighborhood socioeconomic…

A systematically disproportionate amount of Black and Brown students have struggled in their high school (HS) math courses, particularly with inclusion, identity, and academic success. This study came from a humbling journey of what it meant for a math educator to shift toward student-centered pedagogies within a deficit-oriented system of…

Teachers have endured work-related stressors daily to provide the best educational experience to students. This applied research study addressed teacher stress levels to implement a teacher centered social emotional learning (SEL) program. This study was collaborative and involved teachers, administrators, and district staff who worked together to…

This action research dissertation explores the role of coaching in fostering people's development within the administrative services of a small research-intensive public university. The study explores how coaching influences employee attitudes, self-efficacy, personal and professional growth, productivity, and overall organizational effectiveness.…

K-12 private education systems are becoming an increasingly popular choice for parents who desire Biblical frameworks, teaching, and learning to build lifelong leadership skills and capacity for their children. Christian education stakeholders need to understand how leaders in non-Christian organizations explain their lived experiences of K-12…

Social group disparities persist in who chooses to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in higher education. Goal congruity theory has highlighted how perceptions of other-oriented opportunities in STEM can spur interest among underrepresented students. The present work extends this framework by considering how…

This study examines the impact of the National College for Education Leadership's (NCEL) instructional training program on Jamaican school principals' transformational leadership skills. Using Instructional and Transformational Leadership theories, the study investigates how the NCEL program influences principals' leadership styles, organizational…

Teachers entered the field of education with varied educational experiences that left many first-year teachers feeling unprepared to lead their classrooms successfully. The quantitative study aimed to determine how and to what extent teachers perceived their preparedness as first-year teachers in classroom management, curriculum and planning, and…

School readiness includes a range of competencies and is influenced by both parental beliefs and teacher perceptions. Despite its significance, only a small number of states have an established definition of school readiness, which raises questions about how well stakeholder understandings align and the effectiveness of parental activities in…

The purpose of the study is to examine how professional growth is sustained over time through exploring a teacher's narrative of personal and professional growth. The central question of this dissertation is: What creates sustainable and continuous positive professional change and growth in a teacher's professional life? In this study, I discuss…