This study was about a university course, "Mindfulness & Sustainability" (GC495), that I designed, instructed, and assessed. Twenty-one students and I went on a mindful learning journey; together we cultivated a community of Transformative Sustainability Learning (TSL). I used The Work that Reconnects (WTR) to teach mindfulness in…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the critical factors of professional instruction that positively influence employee engagement. The setting for this study was a 7,500-student, two-year college and career training institutional district that is located in the midwestern region of the United States. The research sample for…

This dissertation discusses the relationship between teacher sensemaking, attributions, and instructional adjustments prompted in response to student performance data. Through this qualitative observation study, this paper explores the varying perspectives of teachers, including their level of assessment literacy, and the dynamics of their…

Although scholarship has shown that new teachers struggle to make the transition to in-service teaching and enact the progressive practices that they learned during pre-service preparation, little research has explored how first-year teachers develop a justice-oriented practice during this transition. This project centers on a critical learning…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how secondary teachers describe the role that the elements of the community of inquiry framework (social, cognitive, and teaching presence) play in a virtual learning environment in a rural school district in South Carolina. The community of inquiry framework was used to guide the…

This action research emphasizes the need to implement curricula to engage marginalized students as well as promote literacy and high levels of academic achievement. Marginalized students include minority students who perform far below their White peers on state assessments. In Chapter I, the action research problem of practice is explored. The…

With over 44% of new teachers leaving the profession in the first five years, it is important for teacher education programs to consider how to prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) with the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy to take on the challenges they will face in the K-12 school system (Ingersoll et al., 2018). Clinically rich methods courses…

In this qualitative case study, I examined how teacher instructional practices and beliefs around teaching literature were impacted after self-selecting into a sustained professional development opportunity called Bard Core. Specifically, I ask, 1. What are the perspectives of secondary ELA teachers as to how a self-selected, year-long,…

Institutions of higher education must tailor the learning experience to meet the needs of all adult learners and increase student retention and lower dropout rates. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how post-secondary online learners described their engagement and instructional techniques they have experienced in an…

This study documented an interdisciplinary team of grade 8 teachers' utilization and implementation of research-based reading strategies introduced through collaboration during a Professional Learning Community (PLC). This study also investigated the teachers' perspectives on the implementation of research-based strategies, including the factors…

The pressure on schools to improve student performance in middle school mathematics combined with the movement towards standards-based instruction leaves teachers searching for the most effective instructional practice and administration examining their role in improvement efforts. This study examines the effect on student achievement in middle…

The need to improve math instruction in the United States has led to a variety of reactionary reform efforts. Often, these reforms require teachers to step away from deeply embedded instructional practices, which are difficult to change. Professional learning communities (PLC) are a common form of professional development in education that have…

Critical praxis is an important means of increasing educators' critical consciousness. Culture circles are one avenue for educators to engage in a critical praxis, to dialogue, listen, reflect, and develop direct action steps. Both critical consciousness (Freire) and an ethic of care (Noddings) are essential and require an ongoing critical praxis.…

Mathematics education researchers examined teacher practices that support students who have historically been marginalized and have underperformed in school. These efforts have led to much discussion about how to incorporate culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) theoretically and pragmatically. Many teachers want to develop and implement more…

The COVID-19 pandemic affected both how instructors taught their courses and how students learned in those courses. The delivery of law school instruction online in America at this scale had never occurred. This study sought to understand how American law students experienced this pivot by analyzing how those students experienced the Socratic…