This dissertation investigates the critical role of social-emotional learning (SEL) in urban education through the lens of educators working in a diverse middle school setting in St. Louis, Missouri. With a focus on understanding educators' perceptions and experiences, this study aims to explore the effectiveness of SEL programs in addressing the…

This dissertation investigates the critical role of social-emotional learning (SEL) in urban education through the lens of educators working in a diverse middle school setting in St. Louis, Missouri. With a focus on understanding educators' perceptions and experiences, this study aims to explore the effectiveness of SEL programs in addressing the…

Tensions exist between providing inclusive education in mainstream classrooms and market-driven neoliberal values such as academic success and school ranking. These values impinge on teachers' responsibilities to teach students with disabilities. Schools are ranked based on students' performance in national examinations and schools sometimes use…

A qualitative multiple-case study explored the perceptions of science teachers, administrators, and specialists on instructional strategies used in urban STEM schools to decrease the science achievement gap among African American students. The problem addressed in this study was the science achievement gap for African American students in urban…

Black males are being identified in special education in urban elementary school districts at a disproportionate rate. The problem addressed in this study was that inconsistent use of multitiered systems of support leads to the disproportionate identification of urban elementary-school-aged Black males in special education. The purpose of this…

Existing studies evaluate zero tolerance policies and the school-to-prison pipeline. Additional research identifies the role of criminal justice systems in deporting immigrants. Our work bridges these two literatures by discussing how immigrant students navigate the criminal justice system within schools. Using interviews with immigrant students,…

Scholars have documented the effects of accountability policies on student outcomes and, to a lesser extent, instruction. Beyond test preparation and curriculum narrowing, little empirical evidence has examined the relationship between policy and pedagogy. Guided by social cognitive and achievement goal theories, this study explored the…

This qualitative case study served to investigate teachers' and students' experiences implementing BASE Education, an electronic learning (e-learning) platform for social and emotional learning (SEL), in an urban charter middle school in Paterson, New Jersey. Convenient purposeful sampling was used to recruit seven students and three…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover perceptions and factors contributing to retention of alternatively certified teachers with one to four year's teaching experience in one of Texas's largest school districts. Schools are facing low teacher retention rates which negatively impact student performance. Podolsky et al. (2019)…

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…

Early science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education matters for young children's learning and their academic trajectories (McClure et al., 2017), but teachers must be empowered and supported to effectively teach STEM subjects to all children, including dual language learners (DLLs). This study focused on a curriculum-agnostic…

The purpose of this embedded descriptive case study was to describe job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction factors that influence urban teacher retention, along with looking at the influence and role of principal leadership through looking at the State of Texas Attrition Report, interviewing an elementary principal, and surveying the teachers at…

Special education within urban, public schools does not always look the same from state to state, district to district, or teacher to teacher. More specifically, teacher knowledge, abilities, and experiences also oftentimes differs in inclusive classrooms that service both students with disabilities as well as students without disabilities. These…

This dissertation is about social studies teachers' perceptions of professional and personal preparedness to facilitate social justice discussions. Due to a focus on high-stakes standardized testing in Math and English Language Arts (ELA), there has been a lack of emphasis on the content of social studies. This phenomenological study explores the…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how teachers describe their experiences with school leadership in providing a positive and engaging work environment in sixth through eighth-grade classrooms in an urban public school in the Northeastern United States. Theories servant leadership and leader membership theory serve as…