Over the past 20 years, large scale crisis events categorized as adversarial incidental, human caused threats, biological hazards, natural disasters, and technological hazards have increased and posed significant challenges for executive leaders in curriculum and instruction (ELCIs) in K-12 educational settings. These crisis events disrupt K-12…

Inclusion is not merely a placement; it is a human right. This qualitative study examined the organizational structures and systems that support the development and sustained implementation of inclusive practices within a large urban school district that has prioritized the transformation from a siloed approach to educating students with…

This phenomenological research study explores how districts in Massachusetts support and hinder the work of professionals in the inaugural role of Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I). Through a qualitative approach, the study engaged six Directors of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from suburban and urban school settings in…

Annual goals are an essential component of Individual Educational Programs (IEP), which are developed for students with disabilities, and which are informed by data. However, the methods and practices that special educators use to make sense of data to inform the annual IEP goals represent a gap in research literature. This qualitative study was…

School personnel across the United States are developing additional teacher leadership roles to improve professional learning and retain effective teachers. More information is needed concerning how middle school principals are guiding the development of teacher leaders in their schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore…

In this qualitative study the researcher examined the lived experiences of school leaders in the south-central region of the United Stated in developing a school's climate and culture post-pandemic. The problem addressed in this study is the decline of positive school climate and culture post-pandemic, resulting in the need to support students'…

This dissertation examines the lived experiences of Black men credentialed to be assistant principals and principals within a southeastern, urban public school district based upon the philosophies of equity and social justice. Through a qualitative constructivist approach, this research explores their experiences in and with education and how it…

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…

There are high rates of disciplinary issues present in urban elementary schools in the United States, and school administrators need more effective strategies for improvement. Researchers have found that exclusionary discipline practices like suspensions and expulsions are often overused, have questionable efficacy, and disproportionately affect…

Educational accountability is dominated by a focus on test scores to assess academic achievement. An emerging trend toward "next-generation" accountability includes a broader conception of student learning and multiple metrics. A policy design approach is used to analyze this trend. Four design elements--goals, actors, metrics, and…

Education is a construct in American culture that is ever changing. School leadership is a primary function of public education. School leaders in 21st century schools have been tasked with many new functions that differ from their predecessors. With the advent of these new functions, it is necessary to ensure that competent well-versed educators…

A significant criticism of the charter school movement is that funding for charter schools diverts money away from traditional public schools. The magnitude of such adverse fiscal externalities depends in part on the nature of state and local funding policies. In this paper, we examine the fiscal effects of charter schools on both urban and…

The urban education typology put forth by Milner (Urban Educ 47(3):556-561, 2012) offered a conceptual demarcation of three different, yet interconnected types of urban school districts (i.e., urban intensive, urban emergent, and urban characteristic). Nearly one decade after Milner's seminal urban education typology, few empirical or conceptual…

The share of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) via meal applications is often used as a proxy for the share of students from low-income households at a school. But the recent adoption of universal meal programs, such as the Community Eligibility Provision, make it more difficult to consistently measure student poverty…

Ethnic Studies courses are expanding in U.S. schools. While research has demonstrated the benefits of Ethnic Studies for racially minoritized students, less research has interrogated the process of Ethnic Studies curriculum development. Counternarrative--a central component of Ethnic Studies curricula--may present tensions for teachers crafting…