This dissertation explores the relationship between teacher experience, defined by years of service and grade span, and trust levels in educational leadership and among stakeholders within the school community. Trust is critical in fostering positive educational environments, enhancing collaboration, and ensuring the successful implementation of…

This study explored private school principals' career outlooks because of their critical role in shaping academic environments essential for student success. Principals face multiple challenges that can affect career decisions. Employing an electronic survey, this quantitative study included 65 current private school principals, collecting data…

In education, assessment helps shape teaching practices and student outcomes, as it influences how teachers perceive their roles, approach instruction, and engage with students. This study investigated 3rd-8th grade English Language Arts and mathematics teachers' conceptions of the NWEA MAP Growth assessment, focusing on four key factors: (1)…

Educators continue to examine how to increase Black student representation in STEM fields in higher education and there are increased calls to implement collaborative learning in STEM classrooms. However, current implementations do not discuss how collaborative learning can be culturally relevant for Black STEM students, and STEM environments have…

The purpose of this study was to investigate if differences in perceived professional self-efficacy were due to various demographic characteristics for educators in a rural East Texas school district. Participants in this study were full-time teachers within the school district. The district consists of 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1…

This dissertation explored the unique experiences of general education teachers teaching in an inclusive classroom (which will also be referred to as a "mainstream classroom") with a combination of students with and without autism (which will also be referred to as "autism spectrum disorder" and "ASD"). This was a…

There are many things new teachers must learn during their first year in order to effectively teach their students. The struggle during this first year causes many new teachers to become frustrated by a seemingly unmanageable workload, feelings that they are not getting the support they need, and feelings of failure that might cause them to…

The recent changes in global student mobility on U.S. higher education campuses call for increased attention to international student recruitment and retention. One of the approaches that universities can adopt in response to these changes involves addressing career-related concerns that are among those of most significance to international…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between writing motivation and performance for students in grades three to five, and whether scores differed based on students' language status, gender, or grade level. Three student language groups were included: (1) emergent bilingual students currently receiving services for English…

This mixed-methods outcomes study investigated the number of in-school and out-of-school suspension reports before and after the implementation of a preventative-based discipline method, classroom circles. The study was guided by five research questions, (1) What is the relationship between the use of classroom circles school-wide and ISS and OSS…