Improvement science enables researchers to focus on a theory of change in structures and processes in classroom practices. This improvement science intervention was designed to reorient practitioners toward new instructional norms that promote discourse between teacher-students and student-student during instruction. The purpose of this research…

In an effort to explore methods that can challenge the research/practice divide in the field of mathematics education, this project develops a methodology for people-centered classroom-based research. I analyze the process of building teacher-researcher relationships and show how relationships work to support teachers as they make changes to their…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a professional learning intervention on conceptual coherence and inquiry orientation for teachers and leaders participating in a K-12 Mathematics Committee (N = 18). This 9-month mixed methods single case study, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, was designed using the principles and…

School systems across the country, like those in Oregon, continually attempt to improve their students' academic outcomes. Unfortunately, these costly efforts often fail to create lasting change. One factor in many of these failed improvement efforts is the lack of successfully implementing research-based practices (RBPs) at state and local…

The expectation for classroom educators to engage in evidence-based decision-making is standard protocol in most K-12 classrooms, yet translating educational research into effective practice is mired with implementation challenges. The research-practice partnership (RPP) model has emerged as a promising framework to support stakeholders as they…

The purpose of this dissertation was to experiment with qualitative research methodologies while exploring the complexities of doctoral education, research practices, philosophies of inquiry, and other topics intersecting with(in) educational scholarship. My vision for this work was fueled by postmodernist critiques of humanist education,…

The purpose of this research is to showcase the process of a local Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) with possible policy implications by analyzing teacher attrition patterns over many years. The RPP is a collaboration between a principal, the practitioner, and statistic students, the researchers. All groups were graduate-level students at the…

Educational research has been around for over one hundred years and has faced periods of optimism, pessimism, and skepticism. Currently, there is a plethora of educational research available for teachers and districts to use. However, there is a research-practice gap. This gap refers to the amount of research available and educators using the…

There has been a convergence of economic, epistemological, social, and communicative trends over recent decades that shape the ways scholars communicate within their fields, across fields with other academics, and with non-academic entities in industry, government, and the lay public. Consequently, scholars must not only convince those controlling…

The following designed-based implementation research (DBIR) study explores the impacts of a research-practice partnership (RPP) on two fifth grade ELA teachers and the researcher as they engaged with the designing and implementation of two critical literacy pedagogy (CLP) units through the adaptation of mandated New York State Common Core (NYSCC)…

Adaptive tutoring systems often model student knowledge in ways that break away from a "one size fits all" approach to learning. Nonetheless, the strengths of these systems can often be limited, as knowledge representations are not easily interpreted by teachers, which make these systems difficult to integrate into pedagogical practices.…

The aspiration of achieving equitable outcomes for all students is a focus of schools, districts, and communities but has largely remained unattainable with the top-down implementation of change ideas and directives that come and go as quickly as they are implemented. Too often the direct users, students and classroom staff, are left out of the…

School districts have an enormous number of resources available to them as they seek to grow student success and achievement. A review of the web-based educational technology resources a district is using, their effect, and the equitable distribution of these resources defines this problem of practice. This mixed-method approach addresses a…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the research-based leadership practices demonstrated by principals; in addition to how principals managed to lead others to become involved in student achievement. The participants of this study consisted of school principals from seven successful schools in Saint Louis City and Saint Louis in Missouri and…

Partnerships between schools, universities, community organizations and private businesses have become an increasingly popular response to the privatization of resources accompanying market-based education reforms (Rodriguez, 2020; Warren, 2005). Through these partnerships, stakeholders mobilize resources across sectors and scales in an effort to…