University Teaching Experience for Mathematics Prospective Teachers (UTEMPT), an NSF-funded collaborative project, has implemented an innovative version of early field experiences in order to provide preservice mathematics teachers an opportunity to make a meaningful connection between methods-course-content and teaching practices in a college…

Individual tutoring is noted to be one of the most effective ways to overcome academic achievement gaps and improve student achievement. The Supplemental Learning Support Program provides academic support to students during the school day. The purpose of this study was to conduct a formative evaluation of the program. A mixed-methods study design…

This dissertation conducts an evaluative case study on a community college's Career-Technical Education (CTE) Cultural Resource Management (CRM) technical certificate program to bridge the CRM workforce gap. The study assesses the program's design and development quality by aligning the program theory with stakeholders' needs, including…

Despite growing evidence about the significance of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs, public investment has been relatively low, resulting in slower expansion of evidence-based ECD programs. This dissertation consists of three essays on conducting and using economic evaluation methods to scale up early childhood education and development…

This study investigated how and to what extent colleges and universities are integrating self-efficacy components within their Quality Enhancement Plans. Higher education institutions that are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS), the regional accrediting body for 11 southern states, are…

For the Expanded Learning Summer Program (ELSP), at a midsized public school system in the Northeast, providing high quality programming that engages student interest and fosters active learning by all children was a top priority. This case study, undertaken during the summer of 2017, provided insight into how the ELSP aligned with the relevant…

This study examined the effectiveness of an eight-week Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) coaching cycle on improving instructional strategies for English Learners (ELs) in seventh-grade classrooms. The goal was to enhance the literacy performance of ELs by 15% on the LAS Links literacy subtest. The coaching cycle aimed to integrate…

The lack of access to quality education in northern Nigeria has proven endemic due to the incessant marginalization of the area by various governments since independence to date. The marginalization and lack of investment in teacher training institutions to bridge the manpower gap has created a vicious cycle of poverty, high illiteracy rates, and…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to explore the process of change of a local church ministry training program pursuing an additional location of Oral Roberts University. The program evaluation consisted of a needs and assets assessment, followed by qualitative interviews that informed a quantitative survey. An exploratory…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine secondary preservice teachers' sense of self-efficacy in ELL student instruction. The researcher administered an adapted version of the Teacher Sense of Self-Efficacy (TSES) survey created by Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy in 2001, to a sample population of preservice teachers. The survey…

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…

This phenomenological qualitative study focused on the perceptions of special education teachers involved in the education of students who have been placed in residential treatment facilities (RTF). The study analyzed the data collected from the participants using interviews and a document review to look at the impact of those perceptions on…

Gamification is a teaching strategy often praised for its effectiveness in the classroom. The problem was the lack of information regarding teachers' perceptions regarding gamification in high school Advanced Placement (AP) computer science courses. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of computer science teachers…

The purpose of this study was to understand how fine art teachers viewed the quality of their programs within public school settings. The purpose was to also learn how funding can potentially affect the quality of a fine arts program from the stories of public high school fine arts educators. Goodson's theory of educational change was used to…

This dissertation aims to elucidate the complexities of chronic absenteeism in Head Start Programs post-COVID-19 to enhance early childhood education practices and policies. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study investigates the causes of absenteeism by surveying and interviewing 50 participants from a Head Start Program in the New York…