The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to hear stories from principals in relation to their assistant superintendent supervision and coaching and professional development through principal professional learning communities and resulting efficacy, particularly during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature from the field has…

This dissertation in practice is a qualitative inquiry investigating the struggle to increase connectivity and usage of a parent portal in a mid-sized urban school district in the Northeast, referred to as "Blank" City School District (BCSD). The local problem discussed in this paper connects to the national problem of lack of parental…

This study examines the voices of parents that emerged during a citywide movement to influence a school district's decisions on school closings. The work explores the experiences of parent leaders who reside in a working-class Black community in Chicago where four schools were impacted by the closures. In the context of Chicago, I characterize…

The purpose of this study was to compile or detail alternative out-of-school suspension (OSS) strategies using a qualitative method. Within this study, I evaluated the overall thoughts and perceptions of stakeholders, including teachers, school staff, and administrators as it relates to the strategies being used in Title I elementary schools in a…

Problem and Purpose: Without time for preparation, COVID-19 caused a wave of operational and structural changes that encumbered much of the time and energy educational leaders previously spent on moving the district forward. The ripple effect of the pandemic exposed new challenges in teaching and learning, requiring superintendents and principals…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences and knowledge that informed the decision-making of nine principals from a large midwestern urban district who shifted from implementing mainly exclusionary to restorative practices. Framed by Lederach's conflict transformation theory, the research question was: What knowledge and…

The inequalities between Black and White Americans have left Black people with less education amongst other disparities. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. The Board of Education ended racial segregation in public schools. Today, sixty-nine years later, Black children often still attend highly segregated and underfunded schools.…

The study explores the implementation of teacher evaluation models and federal education policies, particularly AchieveNJ, in an urban public school district in New Jersey. It focuses on principals' experiences and perceptions, uncovering their challenges and thoughts on the policy's effectiveness in enhancing teacher performance and student…

Engaging and supporting families in the learning environment is a critical ingredient to creating a positive educational experience and ensuring the academic success of all students. This study was guided by two research questions: In what ways does one family liaison work to foster the engagement of South Asian EL families in their children's…

Leading school turnaround has been conceptualized as a school-level issue focused on immediate change. There has been little consideration about how district leaders change systems to sustain school turnaround successes. This case study research conducted through the lens of Change Theory explores the leadership struggles of one mid-sized urban…

This research study aimed to identify the factors influencing new teachers' perceptions of their preparedness for 21st-century urban classrooms and provide insights to enhance teacher retention and development strategies. New teachers have long been an underutilized subject in educational research. This mixed-methods study examined new teachers'…

School and district leaders make annual decisions about investing their budgets in a multitude of educational programs. Policy directives set expectations for investing in programs that show evidence of improving student outcomes. However, evaluating many simultaneously-implemented programs under typical school operating conditions is challenging.…

The learning environment for students is affected by factors inside and outside of the classroom. Research denotes the relationship between students' learning environment and teachers' satisfaction with their job. Job satisfaction for teachers consists of several interpersonal, classroom, and school factors known as teacher working conditions…

This Urban Texas School District Restorative Discipline Practice (RDP) initiative was founded and funded on the description that RDP is designed to proactively build relationships, improve school climate, and reduce suspensions of African American (AA) males. This RDP phenomenon was reactively implemented in a Reset Center where suspended students…

Many school districts, particularly in inner-city communities, face numerous barriers to students' academic success. Unfortunately, the school paradigm is not constructed to address the glaring social/emotional conditions affecting millions of children (Anderson-Butcher et al., 2017). As a result, educators and social reformers have urged school…