This study analyzed the impacts of participation in short-term study abroad programs at Oklahoma community colleges through a quantitative research design. Student retention and degree completion are concerns for all types of higher education institutions, but U.S. community colleges experience an even greater struggle to retain students from…

Trauma is not a novel phenomenon within the world or society. Kilpatrick et al. (2013) postulated that most individuals will experience at least one traumatic event in their life. Possibly the more disturbing truth about trauma is it can occur throughout all stages of a person's life, sometimes even before the person is born (Narayan et al.,…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this action research school-wide case study was to compare the different perceptions of stakeholders at Wesleyan Christian School (WCS) regarding a safe school climate. A needs assessment was conducted surveying the different stakeholders to assess the changes and improvements needed. The primary factor…

Purpose and Method of Study: The primary purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of principals of high schools in Oklahoma. The secondary purpose of this study was to use the lived experiences to make recommendations toward enhancing principal sustainability. This qualitative study used phenomenological research to understand…

Quality early childhood education is crucial for lifelong success and societal benefits, yet early childhood teachers often struggle to establish their professional identity within the broader education community. Factors like support for developmentally appropriate practices, professional development, and a sense of belonging influence identity…

Purpose and Method of Study: This study focused on the relationship between the cost of undergraduate education (COUE) and graduation rates in four-year institutions in Oklahoma. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the cost of undergraduate education (COUE) and graduation rates at four-year higher education…

While coaching exists as a widely accepted employee development practice in the business world, the coaching mindset has not firmly taken hold in K-12 education. According to the 2015-2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey, the average percentage of public schools with at least one on-site instructional coach is 37% (United States Department…

Research continues to study the types of professional development models and the structures which are necessary to impact student outcomes (Darling-Hammond, 1997; Guskey, 2000; Liberman, 1995) to implement educational improvements driven by leadership and policy makers. The diversity of options for implementation paired with sheer volume of…

This explanatory mixed methods study explores rural Oklahoma STEM subjects and STEM elective teachers' professional experiences, including professional development and certification pathways. Participants completed the Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes Toward STEM Survey (T-STEM Survey, Friday Institute for Education Innovation, 2012) for teachers and…

The problem addressed was that the process of pairing mentors with new teachers in the Oklahoma career and technical education (CTE) program was ineffective and lacked guiding standards. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the perceptions of novice CTE teachers and their mentors and administrators in Oklahoma…

Most classroom teachers in the United States are middle-class, White women who teach diverse, multicultural student populations (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). Considering the teacher/student demographics and the academic statistics regarding students of color, Education Preparation Programs (EPPs) must work to end the…

High poverty and low student performance have been connected for many years, and it has been established that poor children are more likely to have ineffective classroom teachers. Research confirms that economically disadvantaged students frequently have teachers who do not have standard teaching certificates. The problem addressed in this…

This case study aimed to examine the experiences of Black college graduates who completed a hyperlocal gap year program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Much of the literature presented about gap years often occurs between high school and college, when students take an intentional break before pursuing a college degree (GYA, 2020; O'Shea, 2013; Simpson, 2004).…

Trauma-informed school practices are interventions intended to mitigate the effects of traumatic experiences that hinder students' abilities to learn and experience success in school settings. This quantitative comparative study aimed to examine archival data on the impact of trauma-informed school practices on middle school students' grade point…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was to investigate the effect of classroom audio distribution (CAD) technology implementation on the percentage of elementary school students in special education as a potential strategy to improve the learning process for at-risk students. Fourteen K-5 and K-6…