This study examined the experiences of a diverse group of K-12 educators in Hawai?i, exploring the factors that shaped their orientation towards social justice education (SJE) and their definitions and conceptualizations of SJE in their work as educators. The framework of settler colonialism highlighted the fact that there can be no social justice…

The aim of this dissertation was to analyze efforts at the time of this study to vertically align curricula between secondary and post-secondary institutions and then analyze how much needs to be done to close the gap in curricular and performance expectations as students transition to higher education. To narrow the focus, this dissertation…

The 2020 global pandemic forced a shift in focus in how school administrators responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The level of urgency to ensure continuity of learning to digital and remote learning was unprecedented. This study investigated the experiences of new school principals who began their new principalship role during the COVID-19…

Issues of social injustice are pervasive in school systems around the world (Welton et al., 2019) with ingrained institutional barriers that hinder students from reaching future successes. As a result, the purpose of this study was to understand the focuses, mindsets, and actions of leaders for social justice working to redress issues of inequity…

I situate computer programming as a cultural practice. I develop this perspective in two ways: exploring how programming practices can support intercultural learning, and examining how programming tools themselves embed cultural assumptions and values. For the former, I study how relationships across difference are formed over computing activities…

Our nation's 16,800 school districts spend billions of dollars a year on professional development. The best professional development is a critical need. Many educators enter teaching underprepared, especially in our communities of concentrated poverty. However, in reality, professional development often reflects our most anachronistic practices,…

Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) serves the beautifully diverse city of Oakland in California's East Bay. The city, or "the Town" as Oakland natives might say, is steeped in community members' dedication to fighting for equity, particularly in education. The decades-long history of organizing and activism, especially that of Black…

This study investigated instructional coaching as perceived by teachers in selected Mississippi School Districts. The population for this study consisted of 120 teachers working in various school districts. Teachers were asked to respond to survey questions using Survey Monkey. This quantitative study analyzed teachers' perceptions of…

The purpose of this study was to identify the components of effective blended learning (BL) that administrators and teachers in a K-12 setting perceived as having the most significant impact on student achievement. The Commonwealth of Learning's (2018) Blended Course Learnability Evaluation Checklist was used as a framework to create an online…

This study examines accent biases in hiring practices among educators in U.S. schools. Using quantitative methods, the research investigates whether bias levels and accent types influence hiring decisions. The study, involving 216 hiring managers from various school sectors, found no significant correlation between bias levels (audio versus video)…

There were concerns in both quantity and quality of principal candidates regarding training experiences and principals being prepared to lead schools. Research was limited when it came to principal preparation programs (PPPs) training rural, East Tennessee school principals to become instructional leaders and school district leaders providing…

This dissertation explores the transformative evolution of online learning, focusing on its role in K-12 online education and the critical issue of student engagement. Tracing its origins from early correspondence courses to today's dynamic, technology-driven platforms, this research examines how online learning has revolutionized educational…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to describe relationships between stress, burnout, and perfectionism and provide the first empirical documentation of the prevalence and perceived role of perfectionism among music educators. I collected quantitative data on perceived stress, stress appraisal, burnout, and perfectionism in a national…

Traumatic experiences have the potential to influence neurological development which can change the way a person behaves, learns, and builds relationships. While the footprint of trauma has always been prevalent, the mental health of America's children has rapidly declined and has been described as a crisis. PreK-12 classroom teachers are working…

Experiential learning is not a new concept to education. Experiential learning continues to empower learners to construct knowledge through the exploration of activities based on their physical and social environment, as well as individual's inner world and intuition. In this age of extreme climate change and environmental concerns, one important…