Educational research has been around for over one hundred years and has faced periods of optimism, pessimism, and skepticism. Currently, there is a plethora of educational research available for teachers and districts to use. However, there is a research-practice gap. This gap refers to the amount of research available and educators using the…

The expectation for classroom educators to engage in evidence-based decision-making is standard protocol in most K-12 classrooms, yet translating educational research into effective practice is mired with implementation challenges. The research-practice partnership (RPP) model has emerged as a promising framework to support stakeholders as they…

This study utilized a systematic review methodology to explore best practices in improving reading fluency. The literature was searched to determine how the current curricular trends of technology, phonemic awareness and phonics, independent reading, and complex text and vocabulary can improve reading fluency in K-12 students. Potential studies…

This study examines my enactment as a leader in the Teacher Growth and Induction program at Los Angeles Unified School District. To provide a holistic examination of my leadership practice, I deconstruct my use of structure and andragogical moves in relation to a candidate teacher in the induction program. My action research question was as…

Since the early 1900s, the traditional thinking about education and school role in the USA has shifted to view schools as non-isolated entities from the larger society where schooling should be re-energized with help from the society, which includes student homes and communities. This mixed approach action research study evolves around improving…

This mixed methods action research study examined the implementation process and impact of a 9-week Number Talk intervention to build number sense in kindergarten students. Fifty-eight kindergarten students engaged in daily Number Talk lessons for 9 weeks. Qualitative data were collected to evaluate the strengths and challenges of the…

Although family engagement has long been associated with positive outcomes, it is not easy to establish, particularly in urban classrooms. Teachers whose ethnic and social-economic statuses differ from that of the typical urban family may be unaware of how to build and sustain those relationships. When teachers do attempt to involve families, it…

Decades of research in the science of reading suggest that using scientifically based reading practices that are aligned with the science of reading will help improve literacy. Literacy is a necessary skill and is critical for a child's overall development. How well children learn to read in school can impact their future success. This mixed…

Having a child with special needs can be overwhelming, emotionally draining and extremely stressful for parents and their family members. Research identifies the support systems families need in order to have quality-of-life. The current study uses mixed methods to evaluate the degree to which parents and other primary caregivers in Arizona view…

Educators, administrators, and researchers continue to search for a solution to return play to kindergarten classrooms while encouraging the use of technology to meet federal education standards. A review of the literature showed a gap in strategies for implementing play, findings were lacking on video games with digital badges in education, and…

K-12 standards and curricula are beginning to include engineering design as a key practice within Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. However, there is little research on how the youngest students engage in engineering design within the elementary classroom. This dissertation focuses on iteration as an essential aspect…

With the ongoing changes in education and the changing demographics of students in schools, the topic of school readiness is imperative. When children enter elementary school behind academically and socially, they are not prepared to be successful learners in kindergarten. Because school readiness is an indicator of school success, it is important…

School leaders and teachers are confronted with federal, state, and local mandates that must be followed to ensure all students reach their fullest academic potential. To this end, the challenge has been raised to teachers and administrators to have younger students in the lower elementary grades prepared for standardized student testing.…

The present action research study of kindergarten students, in a suburban public school classroom located in the midlands region of South Carolina, describes the ways in which a teacher-researcher developed a Structured Play Unit in her classroom that was designed to answer the following research question: "How does the implementation of a…

Students learning to read in more than one language, or emerging biliterates, are becoming increasingly common in schools. Early screening and identification of reading difficulties may lead to better outcomes for emerging biliterates as well as monolingual English students. Oral reading fluency (ORF) is one tool shown to be both a reliable…