Instruction, designed to impact learning, accentuates the quantity and quality of learner interactions. Theoretically, the higher the level or quantity of learner interaction within instruction, the higher the quality of instruction. Learner interactions are fostered through learner-to-learner (L2L), learner-to-instructor (L2I), and…

Teachers are one of the largest licensed groups in the United States, and nearly all teachers are required to pass a licensure exam before entering classroom practice (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). However, "questions abound as to those exams' quality, design, and purpose: To what extent do they actually assess important professional…

Due to several factors including advances in technology and the global pandemic, online and virtual professional development (OPD) opportunities have rapidly increased in demand and number. Uncertainty has surfaced as to whether the quality of the content of OPD is as high as the quality of content of in-person professional development in-person.…

As school choice expands across the U.S., more states are providing funds to private schools, giving parents options for their children's education. This growth in private schools has heightened the need for accountability in ensuring educational quality and student performance. Transformational Leadership Theory and Systems Theory was utilized in…

Traditional principal preparation programs address responsibilities in areas such as school management, student achievement, and staff development, among other areas. A principal of a Catholic school must be trained in these areas "and then some." They must perform their responsibilities under the overarching umbrella of spirituality.…

This study examines how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education may improve English Language Learners' academic achievement and high school graduation. In particular, it highlights the plight faced by ELLs in high schools regarding quality education that allows them to graduate on time and attend college. The analysis…

The math intervention program, Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS), at a Public Middle School (pseudonym) in the Northeast United States, was implemented for eighth grade middle school math students, but researchers have not measured its effectiveness. Grounded in the cultural relevance pedagogy, the purpose of this quantitative…

Instructional explanations are an ubiquitous component of classroom instruction, but are relatively neglected in science education when compared to other facets of teaching and learning. The ubiquity of instructional explanations and their potential to stimulate learning in students suggests that they should garner more attention from science…

This dissertation investigates the inequitable distribution and causal impacts of mathematics teachers' content knowledge for teaching (CKT) on instructional quality and student learning outcomes. Using the rich information in the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project longitudinal database, the study addresses three core research questions:…

As enrollment in K-12 online courses continues to grow, there is a need to ensure students are enrolled in quality online courses and that online courses provide an educational experience comparable to their face-to-face equivalents. Thus, this study investigated teachers' views of the quality of online courses at state virtual schools. In…

Quasi-experimental research was conducted to examine the effect of game-based student response systems (GBSRS) on student achievement and self-efficacy in languages other than English (LOTE). The research employed a pretest-posttest, non-equivalent control group design in which 170 third and fourth-grade students participated in a 12-session…

It is well documented that as an educational system we subject students from particular racial and socioeconomic backgrounds to unequal schooling experiences. Some researchers attribute the unequal schooling experiences and outcomes of minoritized students of color to their limited access to educational resources, like skilled teachers and quality…

The debate on charter schools is attributed to doubts that such schools are improving the performance of their students. While proponents of charter schools praise their flexibility and creativity, opponents of charter schools posited that charter schools increased segregation, and skimmed the cream of the crop from traditional schools (Miron,…

New ways of managing schools that save money while providing the same quality of education is always a goal. The saving of money is always needed to assure that we make the most of our tax dollars without spending more than is required. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the relationship between student test scores from a…

The quality of teachers is now a central focus of policy and research. In spite of this focus, two key gaps exist, and this dissertation helps to fill them: First, mediation models involving the study of the effects of teaching are rare; instead, most current investigations of teachers focus primarily on the effects of teachers, with less…