The examination of perceptions of district-related community stakeholders regarding governance in an underserved, suburban school district provides a snapshot of key concerns of the age. This research utilized a comprehensive, multi-pronged qualitative approach involving interviews and focus groups to uncover facets of this district's governance…

This qualitative case study focuses on renaming an elementary school in Tulsa, Oklahoma from a Confederate namesake (Robert E. Lee elementary) to a name reflecting Indigenous roots of the Muskogee Creek Nation (Council Oak). The renaming took place during a national movement of removing Confederate symbols and names from public places. The…

This study examined the perspectives of K-12 school counselors and key stakeholders (i.e., school leaders, teachers, parents, and community members) on how they view the role of school counselors, specifically regarding their work responsibilities. I applied the theoretical framework of role conflict, defined as a disconnect between ideal roles…

The public often makes judgements about schools and what happens within them, despite rarely setting foot inside of one. Prior research finds that the public relies on word-of-mouth, news media, and online resources that rate and rank schools in order to make decisions. Notably though, much of the existing literature predates the widespread usage…

Within the past ten to fifteen years, there has been a trend among churches to downsize staff and eliminate the role of "Minister of Education." With these changes in staff structure, a need has emerged for assistance in evaluating adult educational programming within the church. For this project, a process was developed called the Adult…

Despite the number of students and the growing diversity of the students served by rural districts, a lack of research exists on rural district systems to support the continuous improvement of schools. The lack of understanding around systems for rural district improvement stands to exacerbate long-standing inequities for rural communities. Using…

This embedded mixed methods case study described the decision-making influences relevant to Wisconsin rural school district's consolidation. In 2015, Wisconsin's K-12 schools experienced financial cuts that were amongst the largest in the country. As a result, school district interest in consolidation was a natural topic of discussion for many of…

Much research in the field of education has been conducted on strategies to address students' academic and socioemotional needs of students experiencing trauma. The problem addressed in this study was that when students do not receive support for their socioemotional and academic needs related to trauma, they can experience low levels of academic…

This dissertation examines the way novice social studies teachers learn to support multilingual learners in their social studies classes. I take a critical lens to practice-based teacher education (PBTE) to understand the decisions novice teachers make as they support multilingual students in their content classes. In this way, I bridge…

As higher education institutions in the United States face pressure to develop students' capacity to thrive in a globalized society (Niehaus et al., 2019), they have turned to international programs to address this need (LeCrom et al., 2015). In the last decade, U.S. study abroad participation has continued to rise, with short-term programs…

Despite the fact that Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares students for high-wage careers and in-demand jobs (Gordon & Schultz, 2020), it silences the voices it aims to empower by focusing on career alignment rather than community. This dissertation examines perceptions in rural communities in Wyoming to determine how CTE programs can…

The creation of "universidades interculturales" (intercultural universities, UIs) in Mexico at the start of the 21st century was not only a policy response to the need for more accessible higher education for historically underrepresented students, but also to the call for more culturally and linguistically relevant education and…

When looking at large, urban school districts across America, one may observe many common issues that act as limitations for students. However, when taking a closer look at the data, each district and school has unique barriers that impact students and families. This study focuses on Buffalo City School District (BCSD), the second largest school…

John Dewey (1916) asserted that deliberate and systematic educational systems provide capacity to all members of society in order to solve problems and is the foundation for participatory democratic education (Harbour, 2015). Learning is also a social process that allows people to live purposefully. The goal of this qualitative, narrative inquiry…

The purpose of this dissertation is to describe the factors that support and hinder reform of career and technical education in Maine. The single case study design examined the experiences of eleven participants connected to a single Career and Technical Education (CTE) Regional School in Maine. Based upon the lived experiences at a single site,…