Too many students struggle to learn mathematics, and yet learning mathematics is important (House, 2011). Teachers need to improve their efforts to help all students learn mathematics. An increase in teacher efficacy through professional development for the teachers will help the struggling students (Jerald, 2007). This research shows that this…

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the most common compensation practices community colleges in the United States provided to faculty for online course development and delivery. Many community colleges provided compensation as an incentive for faculty participation in supporting their online learning initiatives; however, limited…

Knowledge of surgical procedures, instruments, and supplies is essential to the perioperative nurse working in the operating room (OR). Nursing school curricula do not specifically educate surgical nurses; therefore, it is difficult to fill open OR positions with experienced perioperative nurses. The purpose of this doctoral project was to develop…

Recent governmental education reform measures have emphasized school improvement by requiring schools and districts to improve school performance, including student achievement, through many avenues including professional development. Professional development is no longer concentrated solely on teachers; it now includes administrators the…

Adolescent girls in developing countries, especially those from impoverished backgrounds, face many challenges, such as cultural preference for sons, child marriage, and gender-based violence and harassment, which limit their access, opportunities, and leadership skills. The purpose of this study was to create a virtual empowerment and leadership…

The time has come for community colleges to realize the potential of alumni private funding gifts. While some community colleges have developed alumni associations with success as a source for private fundraising, there are many that have not been successful. Today leaders are still perplexed as to the strategies and factors that contribute to the…

Computer games are now a significant cultural phenomenon, and a significant artistic output of humanity. However, little effort and attention have been paid to how the medium of games and interactive software developed, and even less to the historical storage of software development documentation. This thesis borrows methodologies and practices…

This study examined the functionality of learning difference programs in secondary independent schools, as well as ways to improve this programming for students with learning differences, and help these students define success. This study was designed to explore if programming for students with learning differences needs to exist in all secondary…

Children experience limited time outdoors and have few opportunities for outdoor learning in schools, putting them at risk for being unprepared to engage in solving environmental and societal problems. Researchers have examined outdoor learning at the preschool and high school levels; elementary school experiences have been explored less…

Academic advising has been researched and linked to student retention and completion in numerous studies. New state initiatives, legislative funding pressure, and financial aid changes have increased pressure on accurate, timely, and intrusive advising to increase timely graduation and student success. As academic advising played a vital role in…

Recent national reports (e.g., Carnegie Corporation 2009; National Research Council 2012a) call for increased attention to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education to better prepare students for the demands of a scientific, technical, creative and critical thinking workforce (Honey, Pearson, & Schweingruber, 2014;…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have a history of "doing more with less" and this is often reflected in their effectiveness in securing financial resources from private donors. The purpose of this study is to probe and explore how the Kresge Foundation's HBCU Initiative strengthened HBCU fundraising capacity from…

This dissertation is a historical case study that focused on the founding and continuation of the GSSch to define the term, academic resilience and to determine how the GSSch had impacted "academic resilience." I examined qualitative data from interviews alongside research published during the founding (i.e. mid-1970s) and continuation…

Bullying and peer victimization are prevalent concerns among educators, psychologists, and families alike. In recent years, research has indicated an increasing prevalence of bullying incidents among elementary school-aged children, with growing concerns about the long-term effects of bullying involvement on bullies, bully-victims, victims, as…

This capstone details the process of developing a qualitative principal appraisal system for the Houston Independent School District (HISD). I employed observational research, in-person interviews, and historical data analysis to inform the envisioning, development, and implementation process. Using Semler's (1997) Systematic Agreement Framework,…