The problem addressed in this study is that the number of historically marginalized and diverse students in U.S. classrooms is rapidly increasing and schools are not prepared to address the need for culturally responsive curriculum and instruction. This study is important because K-12 principals are challenged to address equity, inclusion, and…

Computer science (CS) education has experienced rapid growth over the past decade with student demand leading to new courses or course pathways being offered in K-12 educational settings. Student demand has been matched by parent/community and technology industry support. Educators have quickly responded to the demand by expanding course…

This qualitative study examined the experiences and perspectives of five high school teachers in a suburban area in Northern California. It investigated how each mainstream content teacher adapted their curriculum for their Newcomer Emergent Bilingual students. A Newcomer Emergent Bilingual student is one who has recently immigrated to the United…

The implementation of course-based STEM research experiences in high school would greatly expand access to high-level research, thus providing more students with the type of integrated learning recommended by organizations such as the National Science Board and the National Academy of Science. While there is ample literature on the success of…

This study delved into the critical examination of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) and its integration into the English/language arts (ELA) curriculum. CRP, rooted in acknowledging and accommodating the diverse literacy levels, languages, and cultural practices of students, holds significant promise in enhancing educational equity and…

The purpose of this self-study was to investigate the implementation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in the music classroom without a district-level music administrator. With two guiding research questions, the study involved using culturally responsive music education and a community of practice to implement DEIB music…

International curriculum is a scholastic model to implement international and intercultural dimensions within teaching and learning strategies across disciplines. However, theorists emphasized that IoC is not an independent institutional strategy rather it is tied to internationalization of higher education as a complex and institutionally…

With the complexity and contradictions associated with conceptualizing learner-centered (LC) education, teachers need support to transform their teaching into LC. Teachers who are expected to teach using teacher-centered practices, like teachers in India, also need this support; however, little is known about these teachers' LC knowledge,…

High-needs urban educators often evaluate students based on lower grade level standards and less rigorous curricula that result in a lack of student self-efficacy and engagement. The problem is that students in mathematics experience transformative feelings of negative self-efficacy that lead to a lack of student engagement and achievement. The…

This dissertation detailed the ways by which stakeholder interactions affected interdisciplinary curriculum development in the novel field of esports at Mideast State University. Due to the prevalence of esports in higher education, the sudden popularity of the esports field, and the role of esports in an already overloaded curriculum space, this…

Computational thinking (CT) has been an increasing focus of research and practice since the seminal paper by Wing in 2006, especially in pre-college (K-12) education. Barr and Stephenson defined CT as a problem-solving methodology that can be automated, transferred, and applied across disciplines. With the challenges of fitting CT into already…

Project-based (PBL) learning has been found to improve student achievement, engagement, and interpersonal and intrapersonal skills; however, it is not widely implemented in K-12 schools in the United States. Prior research has established several barriers and challenges to implementing PBL in K-12 schools including challenges related to teacher…

This dissertation study delved into how three undergraduate teacher education programs were preparing pre-service teachers with the skills necessary to implement standards-based grading in PK-12 educational environments. As educational assessment has evolved toward systems that emphasize mastery, equity, and transparency, it became critical for…

As community colleges strive to prepare students for an increasingly interconnected world, this study investigated the challenges and opportunities in internationalizing history curriculum at these institutions. The research addressed the limited understanding of community college history faculty's perceptions and experiences regarding…

In recent years there has been an increased push for K-12 computer science education. A major reason for this push is the growing evidence that introducing young children to coding can enhance their interest and promote their learning of foundational skills needed to thrive in today's technologically rich world. However, little research has…