This dissertation examines the relationship between teacher retention and student perceptions of school climate in an urban school district, both in individual school years and across multiple school years. This secondary analysis uses a school-level measure of teacher retention from New York City (NYC) public schools and measures of school…

Students faced many challenges during the onset of COVID-19 across the country, including isolation in their learning from not being able to be in the classroom with their peers. Although we are four years' post- pandemic, a survey found more than 80% of public schools reported "stunted behavioral and socioemotional development" in their…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine educational leaders' experiences in leading behavioral crisis intervention and crisis team management with at-risk students in Title I K-5 elementary schools. The theoretical and conceptual framework that guided this study was Northouse's (2019) Behavioral Approach in concert…

Some high school seniors who plan to attend college in the fall following graduation do not enroll. This phenomenon, known as summer melt, contributes to lower educational attainment, particularly among low-income students. We extend the literature on summer melt in two ways. First, we show that melt estimates can be sensitive to measurement…

Classroom teachers in the United States are absent on average approximately 6 percent of a school year. Despite the prevalence of teacher absences, surprisingly little research has assessed the key source of replacement instruction: substitute teachers. Using detailed administrative and survey data from a large urban school district, we document…

An urban southeastern state school district has implemented the Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) framework since 2014. However, campus administrators from six middle schools in the school district faced overcoming the PBIS emerging status as designated by the State Board of Education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to…

Statement of Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this evaluative case study is to describe and explain how third through fifth grade teachers perceive the implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) practices on student behavior management within three urban elementary schools in Central Mississippi. The sample…

Background/Context: High teacher turnover has directed a great deal of scholarly attention toward the connection between teacher retention and teacher working conditions. Prior work has identified a set of key working conditions associated with teacher retention, including supportive school leadership, school safety, a collaborative professional…

A 2017 landmark case with the United States Supreme Court, Endrew vs. Douglas, would fundamentally change the provisions for a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities. Under Endrew vs. Douglas, special education services must confer academic and functional benefit. Emotional Impairment (EI) is one of 13…

In this study the local school district has historically had a lack of professional development (PD) in classroom management, challenging student behaviors in many classrooms are on the rise which is resulting in decreased teacher self-efficacy. The main purpose of this quantitative, correlational study, which was influence by a constructivist…

St. Louis Public Schools is an urban school district of 19,299 students. The district has a predominantly Black student population with 78% of students identifying as Black, while also being very diverse with 11% of students qualifying as English Language Learners (ELL). St. Louis has a high crime rate, including a high murder rate. This trickles…

Teachers at all educational levels and disciplines are leaving the profession at a rapid rate across the United States with numbers increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Retention tools and strategies are critical to the success of a school and school district. The purpose of this single case study was to explore urban high school principals'…

Educational research has established a link between zero tolerance disciplinary policies and increases in racial disproportionality in suspensions and expulsions of students of color. This article reports on a critical ethnography of Rivertown, a school district with urban characteristics, where we have been working with parents of color whose…

Located in Harris, Texas, Aldine Independent School District (ISD) serves 67,130 students. Despite being categorized as a richly diverse district with vast opportunity, there are generational disadvantages regarding education attainment and economic status. Poverty is the common denominator of all students across the district, regardless of color.…

Background/Context: The administration of student discipline is one of many responsibilities under the purview of teachers and educational leaders across the country. Maintaining a safe environment with minimal disruptions is not an easy task. From existing research on student discipline, we have learned that critical examination of data and…