This dissertation examines the connection between the English Language Arts Professional Learning Community, data analysis, and research-based instructional strategies to improve students reading levels, as measured by the Pennsylvania Literature Keystone Exam at an Urban High School. It is a mixed-method study. Data were collected from 9th -12th…

Shared leadership among school principals and teachers has been touted as a means to enhance student achievement. Using grounded theory, we interviewed six principals and 20 urban elementary school teachers, in Pennsylvania, to examine their perceptions about federal and state mandates on shared leadership. Results indicate that although teachers…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, quantitative study was to examine the effects of implementing a non-evaluative teacher goal setting process to determine if there was an impact on student achievement as measured by MAP growth scores and if there was an effect on teacher job satisfaction. For this study, teacher job satisfaction was measured…

A good fitness testing program can promote physical activity and fitness. There is no published research, however, that has examined the relationships between teachers' attitudes and students' performance on fitness tests. This study investigated the attitudes of urban middle school physical education teachers (N = 74) toward physical fitness…

This research is carried out to reveal the effects of ''Attention Skill Development Program During Preschool Term'' on attention skill of 60-72 months of children. In this way, efficiency of ''Education Program for Supporting Attention Skill'' was revealed trough quantitative data collected according to Solomon Quadruple Group Model, which was…

In this study, I explored how (a) a team-based instructional method rather than a one-teacher-one-classroom, traditional teaching model and (b) an inquiry-based learning approach affected teachers attitudes and self-efficacy for teaching and students attitudes, self-efficacy, engagement, and connections to school. The study was conducted within…

The purpose of the study was to discover the pathways and roadblocks that lead to ELLs' writing abilities in fourth grade after transitioning from a bilingual to a general education classroom. This research compared students' data points in Dual Language classes on state assessments and the writing strategies implemented by Dual Language teachers.…

In an era of increased attention to academic achievement gaps, expanding educational options has emerged as one approach to meeting the diverse learning needs of urban youth. This multiple-case study uses teacher interviews to investigate the role of extra-organizational factors (e.g., district- or state-level mandates) in shaping teachers' work…

Writing allows access to venues often limited by poverty, disabilities, and geography. Promoting writing skills can create bridges to overcome the isolation that often keeps communities from engaging with one another. However, most of the students in the nation's schools are not capable writers and find the persuasive genres challenging. In this…

Across the country, urban school districts are opting to close under-enrolled schools as a way to consolidate resources. Motivated by a reported $1 billion deficit and declining enrollments in depopulating neighborhoods, the Chicago Board of Education voted in May 2013 to close 49 elementary schools and one high school program located in an…

The number of culturally and linguistically diverse students at an urban elementary school in a southern state has greatly increased since the 2014-2016 school year. Corresponding low state achievement test scores have also been observed for English language learners (ELLs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the instructional strategies…

Childhood trauma is prevalent and has a profound impact on student learning, behaviors, social-emotional well-being (Perfect et al., 2016), physical health, relationships (Tishelman et al., 2010), and brain architecture (Perry, 2001). Trauma-informed care professional development (PD) within the school setting is a relatively new notion for school…

Context: Policymakers have increasingly advocated for incentive-based approaches for improving urban schools. Purpose of the study: Few studies have examined the implementation of incentive based approaches in the urban charter school context. This paper presents research findings from a 4-year longitudinal study of the implementation of a…

Aim/Purpose: IStation is an adaptive computer-based reading program that adapts to the learner's academic needs. This study investigates if the IStation computer-based reading program promotes reading improvement scores as shown on the STAR Reading test and the IStation test scaled scores for elementary school third-grade learners on different…

The purpose of this sequential mixed method study was to determine if there were differences between central office administrators', school administrators', and bilingual and English as a second language (ESL) teachers' overall and levels of action, self-regulation, and means efficacies, when controlling for years of experience with bilingual and…