Assessments are an integral part of academic environments and can present opportunities for students to make sense of novel contexts using their existing ideas. Assessments also provide insights on students' learning and the efficacy of the pedagogical practices. Consequently, physics education research shares a storied history of developing…

The purpose of this study is to examine how and to what extent an afterschool program for marginalized youth assists in developing workforce readiness skills through a critical positive youth development (CPYD) framework that considers the social contexts of youth. There is little research on afterschool programs that prepare youth for the…

For the Expanded Learning Summer Program (ELSP), at a midsized public school system in the Northeast, providing high quality programming that engages student interest and fosters active learning by all children was a top priority. This case study, undertaken during the summer of 2017, provided insight into how the ELSP aligned with the relevant…

Apprenticeship is an enduring form of knowledge transfer that combines work-based learning with classroom instruction. The educational model allows participants to earn while they learn through on-the-job and formalized training that often leads to a college credential (Prebil, 2019). Mounting college debt, combined with more American businesses…

Over the last decade, secondary schools around the United States have rapidly adopted ethnic studies courses. For instance, California's governor mandated ethnic studies as a high school graduation requirement in 2021 (Magcalas, 2023). According to scholars, ethnic studies courses offer educational experiences that disrupt the erasure and…

School districts are highly complex organizations. Leaders often feel frustrated by the failure of improvement efforts that are built with rational if-then structures when the intended goals are not met. During the design phase of this Participatory Action Research study, a group of Co-Practitioner Researchers (CPR) highlighted Trust and Coherence…

This qualitative case study explored how grading can be used to support learning by analyzing the implementation of a skills-based grading system in a high school English department. Black and Wiliam's (2018) model for assessment in relation to pedagogy was used as a lens through which to examine the relationship between the grading system and…

In 2020, nearly half of Texas's 385,000 public high school graduates were unprepared for college-level reading or math. Limited research reveals K-12 faculty perceive limited roles and responsibilities in the college process, relying heavily on guidance counselors and college admissions counselors for preparing students for college and careers.…

Technology-rich instruction is described an important instructional component for fostering the development of 21st century skills (U.S. Department of Education, 2017) and an effective pedagogy for teaching at-risk students (Darling-Hammond et al., 2014). The purpose of this qualitative case study program evaluation was to explore technology-rich…

This study examines how one college in a large private university sought to benefit its students by implementing a program of faculty-mentored, co-curricular high impact practices (HIPs). This qualitative single case study uses confirmatory and exploratory document analysis to examine how an educational leader translated institutional purpose via…

This dissertation examined the relationship between 17 secondary school teachers' participation in professional development to learn to align targets and tasks with standards and their students' achievement. This study explored the extent to which secondary school teachers who attended professional learning communities aligned targets and tasks…

This study examined the lived experiences of New York City educators who are teaching and learning in a high-stakes testing environment to improve students' learning outcomes. The research questions were: (1) What are New York City elementary school educators' experiences teaching in a high-stakes testing environment? (2) What are New York City…

Purpose and Method of Study: The pursuit of equity in education is, in part, a response to the growing diverse student population. As such, school leaders are tasked with ensuring educational equity is achieved for all students. To that end, this study explored public school administrators' awareness, experience, and disposition towards equity…

Recent K-12 science reforms necessitate a shift in curriculum and instruction to support coherence from the students' perspective. This coherence emerges when students see their science work as addressing and making progress on their questions and problems. Storyline curricular units afford student coherence, but teachers need support to craft…

Education reform is a contested and complicated terrain where multiple stakeholders with competing visions seek to influence the direction of reform in alignment with their own interests. As a result of these competing visions, education policy is not value free or neutral and favors those who hold the political and economic power to maintain the…