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…

Parent-teacher collaboration is crucial for optimizing outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder (SWAs). This qualitative study addressed perceptions among parents of elementary-aged SWAs regarding the lack of transfer of school-based behavioral skills to the home environment. Parental perceptions of the transfer of behavioral…

The aim of this qualitative study was to examine home literacy environment (HLE) and how this environment affects the way parental responded to their children's oral miscues during shared reading. In addition, parental behavior-specifically corrective feedback as it relates to children's perceptions of reading in terms of their reading attitudes…

This dissertation examines the effects of neighborhood characteristics on Detroit Public School Community District students' attendance rates for the 2018-19 school year. First, I analyze the effects of daylight savings time, relative to school start time, on absences for elementary and middle school students. By observing the natural change in…

Since Bandura's original study on self-efficacy, many studies have concluded on the importance of self-efficacy and success (Bandura, 1977). Later he studied the contributing factors of how self-efficacy is established (Bandura, 1986). Given the importance of home factors in establishing self-efficacy for students, research needs to occur to…

The main purpose of this pilot study was to explore the rate and extent to which school psychologists are considering different developmental, linguistic, and environmental factors of English Learners. The sample of this study included coding bilingual psychoeducational evaluations (N=120) for such factors using the D-STPGE scale as a guide to…

This qualitative study was conducted to explore emergent literacy and phonological awareness abilities of primary students who experienced an interruption of classroom literacy instruction due to a catastrophic event. Participants included four primary students and their parents. The students participated in home-shared reading regularly and…

Recent education-based challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a growing need to read and understand multiple internet-based sources in both academic and daily life, have highlighted the importance of better understanding how children read and learn both online and in traditional print-based environments. Previous research suggests…

Despite decades of research and policy efforts, socioeconomic disparities in educational outcomes persist in the United States. In this dissertation, I examine these disparities, focusing on access to higher education during the later years and on academic achievement during elementary school. I explore the importance of family, neighborhood, and…

Background: This paper poses to discuss and examine the concern of unmonitored and excessive internet use by school-age children, ages eight years to 11 years old, along with the importance of employing a Family Media Use Plan, which is recommended by the American Family of Pediatrics (AAP). This issue, although not often studied, is a common…

In March of 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, drastically changing teaching and learning. Children were immediately placed in emergency remote learning, and parents became facilitators of their children's learning while children were in their virtual learning space. This study explored families' experiences with…

This qualitative phenomenological design study explored the parental role in special education advocacy and support of early childhood learning needs of pre-K to 2nd grade elementary students receiving special education services, based on parental perceptions of whether they have adequate know-how and resources to advocate and support the early…

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to understand how elementary students perceived their learning and engagement in a remote learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five students elected to join the study with parental permission, ranging in grades 3rd-5th. Interviews were conducted on Zoom with the students as well as their…

The main goal of the present work was to introduce a new conceptual framework for quantifying and classifying the environment by imposing a structure for sequencing contextual influences that echoes the study of genes. According to Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model of Human Development (BMHD), children's developmental outcomes are the result of…

Over the past two decades, U.S. states have widely adopted early literacy policies. These policies have shown short-term success in enhancing K-3 literacy skills. However, the reasons behind their widespread adoption and the factors driving their success are poorly understood. This three-paper dissertation focuses on Michigan's Read by Grade Three…