An emerging body of research suggests that content-rich literacy instruction has the power to expand elementary children's domain-general and domain-specific literacy skills. For content teachers, such as science teachers, explicit instruction in disciplinary-language and literacy practices can support students reading and writing of school-based…

Few students in the United States of America are proficient readers and reading achievement has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for minority groups and struggling readers. Many students who struggle with reading also have problem behavior and need supports that can help them engage across various academic settings. Because of the…

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for increased adolescent mental health support in the school setting. This evidence-based quality improvement project aimed to determine if implementing a clinical mental health pathway increases the number of mental health screenings completed and increases school nurse practitioners' comfort and…

During the Spring 2021 semester, 19 freshmen students on academic probation were recruited for a MI mentoring intervention. The mentor completed 45 hours of MI training and reached MI proficiency prior to the start of the intervention. Participants provided survey feedback, qualitative responses regarding the meetings, self-reported goal…

Teachers in my school district observed students struggling with their social and emotional skills in the classroom and on the playground; therefore, a group of teachers and administrators began to search for programs to help the school district strengthen student social and emotional skills prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The team…

Since at least 2001, an emphasis has been placed on the use of evidence-based practices in schools to close achievement gaps. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) emerged during this time as a framework of evidence-based practices adopted by nearly all U.S. states including Georgia. When implemented with fidelity, MTSS has the potential to close…

Knowing that each student's academic success relies on his/her reading proficiency, schools must implement effective instructional reading models so that students can move from learning to read to reading to learn in the early years of development. The purpose of this inquiry was to evaluate the effectiveness of a kindergarten and first grade…

The purpose of this feasibility project is to implement and evaluate the effect of a trauma-informed modification on an evidence-based classroom intervention model to promote effective trauma-informed classroom management and coping skills with potential reduction of educator stress and burnout. Trauma is the most-common psychological health…

Adaptive learning systems aim to emulate how skilled educators provide every student with the best possible learning experience. We investigate how these systems might be enriched by incorporating activities and indicators of social learning, which focus on the influences of learners' social context and interactions. This doctoral research aims to…

Untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders have short- and long-term consequences for mental, physical, developmental, social, and economic outcomes affecting the mother, infant, family, and community. Online Health interventions are known to be effective in treating mental health disorders and increasing access to care. Successful perinatal…

The research on children whose parents are separated or divorced presents much debate regarding the role of risk factors and the influence of interventions to mitigate negative outcomes. Reviews of research on divorce have consistently supported findings that children of divorce have a higher incidence of mental health, substance abuse, academic,…

Despite the increased popularity and available offerings for associate degree nursing (ADN) programs in the United States, an insufficient number of entry level registered nurses are available. Due to insufficient entry level registered nurse representation, the number of available trained caregivers are lacking to meet the demands of the U.S.'s…

The purpose of this study was to explore the components of a PBIS pilot program facilitated by a team at a special services cooperative in the Midwest. This study identified the goals of the program and looked at the fidelity of implementation over a three year period for the first cohort of schools to participate in the program. For this study…

Social emotional competence is an essential developmental skill recognized as the most critical for school and later success. Rising rates in behavioral referrals and preschool expulsion have brought increased attention to the importance of helping children develop social-emotional skills in the early years. In early childhood education a central…

Increasingly, graduate teaching "assistants" (GTAs) are not "assisting" faculty instructors, but finding themselves in the role of lead instructor, particularly in physical activity courses. Despite this responsibility, GTAs receive little or no pedagogical training and often feel unprepared to teach. Conversely, college and…