The education system in the United States has historically scored low among countries across the globe. The Nation's Report Card, created by the National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP], showed that the proficiency in math for students decreased as they matriculated through school: Grade 4 -- 41%, Grade 8 -- 34%, and Grade 12 -- 24%…

This dissertation explores how four critical teachers of color learn and develop through dialogue and reflection about their own educational and life histories as well as their work in ethnic studies classrooms. As K-12 schools in states like California integrate ethnic studies into their curricula, educators are looking to established ethnic…

The purpose of this dissertation is to identify quality indicators for visual based learning material for technology education classes for grades 6th to 9th. This is a three round Delphi study aimed in answering the following research question. RQ: What are the quality indicators that contribute to the successful selection of visual-based learning…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive design study was to understand how 6-12th grade teachers describe their teacher evaluation experiences and the role those experiences play in shaping their instructional practices. The literature review indicated the need to understand how teacher understandings of evaluation tools influence their…

This study investigates the impact of various types of absenteeism--excused, unexcused, and suspensions--on 2024 English I and II EOC scores among 9th and 10th graders at a suburban North Texas high school. This quantitative analysis aimed to understand whether different absence types influence academic achievement when controlling for ethnicity…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand teacher and administrator perspectives regarding how a ninth-grade transitional course that began during the fall of 2019 meets student needs during the transition from middle to high school. The high school in which this study was conducted, is referred to as "Midwestern High"…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on ninth-grade students' mathematics achievement in a rural school district located in South Carolina. Students enrolled in ninth grade prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2018- 2019 school year) Algebra I EOC scores were compared to the students enrolled in ninth grade for…

Building a culturally responsive school allows for teachers to expand their teaching practices to individualize instruction based on students' culture and background. Teachers must do this even more so now as many students have suffered severe learning loss due to school closures during the pandemic. Culturally Responsive Teaching allow teachers…

Research results from the past decade on the efficacy of online instruction for high school students varies. While many researchers suggested that younger students, mathematics students, and already struggling students who take online classes were underperforming compared to their classmates in the same course taken face-to-face (f2f), other…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the impact of informal STEM education on underrepresented middle school girls. The study took place within the context of the EUREKA! summer program, a collaboration between Drexel University's Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering and Girls Inc. of Philadelphia and…

Students may fall behind in their academic grade-level standards. Some students may be able to adjust to follow along with grade-level content; however, what happens when a student falls two or more grade levels behind? Those students are tested and based upon the results of the assessments, they may be assigned to Response to Intervention to…

This dissertation examines how implementing READ 180 for 9th grade students affects their Lexile level and reading ability. The research focuses on two questions: what changes were noticed in the students' Lexile levels? and what program recommendations can be made moving forward? The methodology used was PDSA and improvement science. The study…

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of social media on adolescent mental health. The study was intentional in examining the effects of social media usage on depression, self-esteem, and academic achievement. The research was completed during the fall and spring of 2020 and 2021 with 136 ninth grade students within a large…

Mathematical learning is supported by caring teaching, which is complex, political work particularly for white teachers in racially diverse classrooms. To investigate white teachers' understandings of care and its influence on mathematics instruction, I conducted a six-month qualitative study in two racially diverse ninth-grade Algebra 1…

Age-appropriate use of social skills throughout a student's K-12 career has been linked to a variety of favorable academic and behavioral outcomes (Capara et al., 2000; Malecki & Elliot, 2022; Wentzel, 1993). Social skill deficits are widely present in the secondary setting (Gresham et al., 2010), and research has highlighted 9th grade as an…