A well-designed compliance program is necessary for higher education institutions (HEIs) of all sizes to mitigate the risks of severe penalties and reputational damage resulting from regulatory noncompliance. The U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines provide a broad framework comprised of the Seven Elements contributing to an effective compliance…

Reading on grade level by the third grade is such an important skill for children to acquire for success in elementary school and beyond. National literacy rates show that only about one in three American students perform at or above grade level in English Language Arts. The ABCUSD has approximately 4,000 teachers in the system. It is unlikely…

The Latino population is the fastest-growing community in the United States yet falls behind in the percentage of students who successfully graduate from college compared to other cultural groups. While trends of Latino students applying to college are on the rise, many cannot successfully obtain a degree due to detrimental barriers. These…

Students present with mental health needs and posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet they largely do not receive necessary services. Since schools are an ideal setting for students to receive mental health services, Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs) were developed to define and detail the ways in which student mental health needs can be addressed at…

Student veterans may encounter educational barriers that can impact transitions to college. This research focused on veteran transitions to college during onboarding. Onboarding is beneficial in a higher education setting and, when properly deployed, can help ease transitions. This study involved the development, implementation, and assessment of…

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this mixed-method case study program evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of a middle-level career exploration program to determine whether any program adjustments should be implemented for overall student success. From a population of 152 core classroom teachers, 55 teachers responded to a survey…

Postsecondary institutions are redesigning the ways in which they offer remedial courses to support students' progress and eventual success in college more effectively A corequisite approach places students assessed as marginally remedial directly into college-level courses but provides them with additional academic support. The rationale is that…

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…

Participation in higher education affords low-income students with a pathway out of poverty. The federally funded Upward Bound program aims to improve the college-going rate of low-income and first-generation students. Relevant studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the program. There is a gap in the research regarding whether some types…

The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine the differences in literacy and mathematics pass rates between AY 2021-2022 and AY 2022-2023, whether a 21st CCLC Program contributed to score differences and whether there is an interaction between them in a southeastern state. A two-way mixed ANOVA was used to answer the…

This dissertation investigates the educators' perceived impact of receiving a STEAM certification implementing STEAM education. This research stems from the foundation of the disparity between researchers agreeing that support for STEAM professional development should be continuous (e.g., Myunghee et al., 2013; Quigley & Herro, 2016; So et…

Reading fluency has been a tenacious problem in our schools. Studies have addressed the national decline in reading fluency in elementary schools. Tennessee's data outlines a similar pattern of findings. Approximately one third of Tennessee students complete third grade without becoming fluent readers (Tennessee Department of Education, 2023). New…

The purpose of this study sought to investigate the link between professional development and the implementation of professional learning to improve student performance. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, this study explored whether the professional development of culturally responsive teaching influenced classroom implementation.…

This study investigates the integration of content and language in a Mandarin immersion program, focusing on the interplay between teacher beliefs and pedagogical practices. It examines how these practices align or diverge from teachers' stated educational ideologies through interviews, observations, and a questionnaire. This qualitative case…

This dissertation comprises three complementary studies that aim to advance the understanding and practice of Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) development in special education. In the first study, we systematically reviewed empirical research measuring IEP…