The number of Nontraditional-age students has been on the rise in higher education over time, and although this population has been increasing nationwide, there has been a continued decline in nontraditional-age students at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). This quantitative study focused on the background characteristics, academic…

Tuition-dependent higher education institutions face myriad external and internal challenges, including waning public confidence, demographic shifts, systemic sluggishness, and reduced workforces. Research on higher education administration tends to focus on senior-level leaders, with the operational experience of rank-and-file administrators…

In a British Overseas territory, a smoking cessation program was implemented in 2014 and had not been evaluated since inception. The problem that was addressed in this study was that despite the implementation of the "I Can Quit" program, it was unknown which curriculum and instructional strategy interventions participants thought were…

The number of special education referrals continues to increase for African American students, which contributes to a disproportionate amount of African American students within the special education system. Teachers play a role in referring African American students to special education in urban schools. Therefore, this qualitative…

The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental correlational study is to test the relationship between children having special needs and the rate of homeschooling and to test the relationship between parental dissatisfaction with the learning environments in public or private schools and the choice to homeschool. The theoretical framework in…

The three articles that comprise this dissertation examine different ways that current teachers can express leadership outside of their classrooms, through labor activity and within-school instructional leadership. I use descriptive and quasi-experimental quantitative analysis to examine which teachers take on these roles, their effectiveness, the…

In 2020, students categorized as Black, Hispanic, Asian, and two or more races comprised over 50% of community college enrollment nationwide. However, current internationalization models in community colleges are rarely intentionally designed for and with students of the global majority. This study addresses a gap in the research by exploring the…

This dissertation explores the intricate connections between African Americans, the Black Church, and educational outcomes, with a focus on implications for literacy development. Grounded in Critical Race Theory, the research seeks to unravel the structural complexities that contribute to the academic achievement gap faced by African American…

The California Community College (CCC) system is the largest higher education system in the United States and serves diverse students. However, CCC's leadership does not mirror the diversity of its student population. Senior-level positions continue to be dominated by White men, highlighting the lack of diversity among leadership at these…

The purpose of this narrative qualitative study was to explore how politics affects the ethical decision-making processes of elementary principals. Participants were comprised of five elementary school principals, with varied years of experience, across neighboring suburban public school districts in eastern New York. Data was collected through…

Little is known or understood about the intimate experiences of single mothers and how they navigate being both mother and a college student while working in non-traditional occupations. Pertaining to gender, non-traditional occupations are defined in the literature as those occupations that are disproportionately filled by a specific gender.…

As schools redefine their role to include the social-emotional needs of students, it is imperative that they simultaneously reflect on the adults in the building and the way that they embody and model the traits they are hoping to instill in students. This exploratory qualitative study looks specifically at the way that school leaders perceive and…

As the hospitality and tourism workforce evolves high school Career and Technology Education (CTE) hospitality and tourism programs must remain relevant and innovative (Gauthier, 2020). One of the main goals of offering hospitality and tourism as a program of study during high school is to transition graduates into the hospitality and tourism…

Hispanic women in higher education are underrepresented as faculty and mid-level administrators and are not ascending through the career pipeline into higher leadership positions at community colleges. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the experiences of Latinas in a career in academia. This study was conducted as a qualitative…

This qualitative phenomenological study focuses on the influence of technology applications and usage on student engagement in the classroom setting for high school (9th-12th grade) students and their teachers at a high school in New Mexico. The literature reviewed includes findings that technology applications and usage influence student…