Following the Brown v. Board of Education decision, tens of thousands of Black educators were removed from America's classrooms (Milner & Howard, 2004). To this day, only 7% of teachers are Black (Institute of Education Sciences, 2020), meaning Black students can spend some, if not all, of their educational career taught by someone who does…

Innovative learning environments are increasingly built and implemented in schools, but are not necessarily being used according to designers' intentions. The goal of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of the innovative learning spaces they were charged with using and to determine if they were being used effectively and as designed. The…

The purpose of this research was to highlight another dimension of education that values the body as a place where learning and self-efficacy take place. Traditionally, the arts are kept separate from the core subjects, and the mind is kept separate from the body in education. This dual way of thinking also creates culturally hegemonic systems…

University leaders will find the results of this study significant as they develop educational programs that attract students and help them achieve their academic goals. The problem is that no known studies exist that examine instructor-student interactions and customer satisfaction from the perspective of the doctoral student using a qualitative,…

The concept of belonging is considered an essential need, and the impact of belonging has been studied by many. However, limited research has been conducted on the impact of belonging of those who work in schools, especially those who are the only individuals engaged in their role, known as Onlies. The purpose of this study was to gain an…

This dissertation, my scholarly professional narrative (SPN), is a self-reflection of mentoring experiences as a Latina millennial in academia and professional settings. These experiences are told through the art of storytelling using "testimonio," which promotes critical awareness of cultural intersectionality and intercultural…

This qualitative collective case study examined the relational and professional practices literacy tutors used to support learners with dyslexia in virtual learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through individual interviews, literacy tutors who rapidly transitioned to online teaching described their lived experiences during this…

The focus of this study was planning methods and instructional practices that educators use to address the needs of students affected by poverty. The problem addressed in this study was identifying common themes among classroom instructional strategies and classroom environmental factors that produce positive gains in student achievement. Those…

Teacher leadership can be an important intervention for improving classroom instruction across K-12 public schools. Many researchers, policy-makers, and educators are calling for more teacher leadership. Yet, enhancing the impact of teacher leadership, in part, depends on a clearer understanding of the teacher leadership process. The ways in which…

Over the last century, the expected role of the classroom teacher has shifted dramatically. We have begun to move away from someone whose main purpose is to provide rote instruction to students, to a shift that educators are facilitators of learning that work to meet the needs of the whole child and not just their academic growth. An increased…

In a time of uncertainty, teachers have been the backbone of the educational world. They provide a sense of consistency to many students who may need positive role models in their life. Teachers take on roles as caregivers, educators, friends, and are often a "safe place" for students. Yet, how have teachers been supported during times…

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an emergency response to close businesses, shut down schools, and mandate lockdowns to mitigate the spread of the virus creating an unprecedented worldwide disruption in the family and educational environment. The problem to be addressed in this study is the unknown subjective lived experience of vulnerable…

Women of Color faculty remain underrepresented across all fields of postsecondary science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Although extant literature describes the collective institutional-level experiences of Women of Color faculty, an effort to understand the departmental-level experiences and contextually how the…

This research looked at how higher education leaders identified and managed their emotions in times of institutional change. Interviews were conducted with higher education leaders who were above the level of director and were not chancellors or presidents. The researcher sought to (1) discover the emotions of higher education leaders in times of…

When March 2020 brought with it not only the initial signs of spring, it also brought the reality of the global pandemic to be known as COVID-19. This global pandemic impacted society in many facets. People lost loved ones to the illness, others are still dealing with "long-COVID" affects, and many people lost their jobs due to the…