In an effort to best support student learning, school districts are seeking the most effective means of improving instruction while effectively addressing student inequities. As the focus on accountability intensifies, the use of data is paramount. Access to data alone, does not ensure quality, data-driven instruction. The lack of teacher…

Many departments seek to improve their equity, diversity, and inclusion using data-informed methods; however, not much is known about how closely department leadership aligns their review practices with appropriate theory. This dissertation seeks to explore four areas: 1) how are equity, diversity, and inclusion are being conceptualized (implied…

The purpose of this process evaluation was to evaluate how classroom teachers, campus administrators, and instructional staff differ in their perception of data usage for educational improvement in a large suburban Independent School District (ISD) in Southeast Texas. The researcher was granted permission by the superintendent of the school…

Nearly three-quarters of US adults use at least one social media site (Pew Research, 2019 & 2021). The consistency of US adults reporting social media use indicates a dependable population base to engage in health education. Based on this data, social media has become a community for health educators to perform essentials of their professional…

School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) are an integral part of schools across the United States. When implementing SWPBIS, academic achievement, emotional regulation, prosocial behavior increases while behavioral problems, bullying, exclusionary discipline teacher stress and teacher burnout decrease. Despite the…

The purpose of this study was to further investigate the relationship between the instruments identified by Kose and developed by Maras et al. (2013), Astramovich (2016), and Dimmitt et al. (2007) to provide validation to the proposed taxonomy of program evaluation competencies for school counselors. Theoretically, these instruments should be…

First-Year Engineering (FYE) programs are a critical part of engineering education, yet they are quite complex settings. Given the importance and complexity of FYE programs, research to better understand student learning and inform design and assessment in FYE programs is imperative. Therefore, this dissertation showcases various uses of data…

The use of blended learning in kindergarten K-12 schools in the past decade has seen a dramatic increase, but the research on the effectiveness of blended learning has shown mixed results. However, some schools use blended learning that would be considered successful. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of principals in…

Institutions of higher education are required by U.S. accrediting bodies to articulate their conceptual framework and develop a viable program improvement plan through a continuous reflective process of progressive problem solving that enables data-driven decision-making practices. To meet or exceed national accreditation standards for leadership,…

The problem that was addressed in this qualitative case study was that student retention and graduation rates at community colleges have been affected by the lack of support provided to students during their academic careers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of how administrators perceived they were acting in…

This exploratory case study identified administrative competencies that multiple stakeholders perceive to be important for fostering an inclusive and accessible learning environment for students with disabilities in a small, suburban school district located in Southwest Ohio. It consists of a comparative assessment of stakeholder perceptions of…