Reading fluency has been a tenacious problem in our schools. Studies have addressed the national decline in reading fluency in elementary schools. Tennessee's data outlines a similar pattern of findings. Approximately one third of Tennessee students complete third grade without becoming fluent readers (Tennessee Department of Education, 2023). New…

The transition to five-year-old kindergarten is a pivotal time in children's development, setting the tone for the children's and their families' subsequent formal education experiences. Establishing connections between home and school is a key to creating a supportive learning environment for every child. This dissertation examines how home…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a rich vocabulary intervention on the comprehension and vocabulary learning of third-grade students with language learning disorders (LLD). The study used a repeated acquisition design (RAD), a single case design involving the repeated delivery of a vocabulary intervention on different sets…

The purpose of this quantitative, ex post facto study was to determine to what extent, if any, there were differences in ELA achievement and OSS percentages among schools with grades 3, 4, and 5 that used literacy station instruction (LSI) with students who had individualized education plans (IEP) and schools that did not use literacy station…

Concerns about low mathematics achievement have created a push to increase national mathematics proficiency levels through research and policy. Efforts have largely focused on early mathematics interventions for students with or at risk for mathematics learning difficulties implemented within multi-tiered response to intervention (RTI) frameworks.…

This study reframes the issue of kindergarten office discipline referrals (ODRs) as an opportunity to enhance social-emotional learning (SEL) and create a supportive classroom environment rather than solely focusing on managing disruptive behaviors. Discipline issues significantly impede learning and interventions must be more consistent and…

Despite extensive advocacy and research underscoring the benefits of inclusive education, students with Extensive Support Needs (ESN) continue to be predominantly placed in segregated educational settings, making inclusion a "wicked problem" within the field of education. Wicked problems are characterized by complexity, interconnected…

This study investigated how at-risk kindergarten students respond to the identification of letters and sounds using an embedded picture mnemonic intervention. The problem addressed was that kindergarten students face challenges in developing letter-name knowledge, letter-sound knowledge, and their reciprocal relationship (i.e., grapheme-phoneme…

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of third through fifth grade teachers on the effectiveness of district reading instruction training as it relates to reading achievement. This research was conducted for the following purposes: (a) to explore the perceptions of third through fifth grade teachers on the effectiveness of…

This dissertation investigated whether specific music training components of pitch and rhythm had a differential effect on early literacy skills of phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and concept of word awareness. In addition, this study examined associations between musical aptitude and early literacy skills. The central element of this…

Nurturing, responsive relationships between teachers and young children and between children and their peers are critically important predictors of lifelong positive outcomes (Jones et al., 2015; DeLay et al., 2016; Hanish et al., 2016). By prioritizing strategies that promote and sustain these types of relationships with and between children,…

This systematic literature review aimed to study the effects of early reading interventions in early grades. Specifically, interventions in the early stages affect letter-sound recognition, phonemic awareness, and word identification. Many students may fail to reach the end-of-the-year standards, even with strong classroom teaching. Intervention…

Many elementary school students require and may benefit from supplemental reading support and interventions that can be provided by afterschool programs. The problem addressed in this study was that it was not known if third grade students benefited from an afterschool reading program in one East Tennessee District. The purpose of this…

Reading skills are important for students' academic success. Phonics specifically is a foundational skill which is necessary for reading fluency and overall reading proficiency. Additional support outside of the classroom can be beneficial for those struggling and at-risk. There are various strategies and interventions that can help student's gain…

The problem that was the focus of this study is that only half of the students entering kindergarten in the United States are considered kindergarten ready. This problem is important because children who are successful in kindergarten are more likely to continue to be successful in elementary school. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was…