Over the last two decades, there has been a dramatic increase in natural and manmade disasters. While no community is immune to the risks posed by these large-scale emergencies, colleges, and universities, which are home to numerous vulnerable populations, could be counted among those most at risk. In their current state of overall community…

This qualitative phenomenological research study explores the lived experiences of mentors as they share their perceptions of mentoring practices to better understand how participatory experiences affect the professional growth of new teachers. Using a phenomenological research design helps to better understand the participants' perceptions and…

Early childhood experiences set the foundations for health, well-being, and learning; quality interactions at this stage of development improve outcomes for young children. Teacher qualifications, training, and professional development (PD) are important components of best practice in early childhood education (ECE) and are frequently used as…

This phenomenological study conducted through a CRT lens examined the lived experiences of rural school counselors who implemented or sought to implement antiracist school counseling practices in PK-12 schools. Literature currently exists on the experiences of school counselors implementing antiracist social justice practices (Smith-Durkin, 2022),…

U.S. counseling programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs mandate specific supervision requirements for counselors-in-training, in all specialty areas. Supervising school counselors-in-training (SCITs) differs due to the unique responsibilities of school counselors, which encompass crisis…

Rural Canada is in decline, and as such has begun recruiting immigrants to rural areas to fill crucial labour gaps. This study explores the ways in which rural community colleges can best support immigrant women in Canada. Using narrative inquiry, it captures the voices of women who successfully completed programs in a rural community college in…

In the United States truancy prevention is lacking two key elements to success; research that explains the causes of truancy and empirical evidence for best practices of truancy prevention. Truancy has been a problem in academics since the early 1900's, when truancy became illegal. Since then, truancy rates have continued to see a steady increase,…

Apprenticeship programs in North Carolina act as a crucial talent pipeline and economic development solution. These registered apprenticeships have also been proven to address many workforce challenges directly by matching well-trained, highly skilled, invested jobseekers to organizations choosing apprenticeship as an economic solution. Despite…

The current study investigated beliefs, training, exposure, and barriers among 100 school psychologists' clinical practice when serving LGBTQ students. Two hypotheses were tested to address gaps in the existing literature. The first hypothesis examined if school psychologists' beliefs, training, and exposure to LGBTQ individuals predicted…

This qualitative, exploratory study investigates teacher perceptions of the hybrid, 1:1 model of instructional delivery implemented during an emergency shift in instructional practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores educators' perceptions of how-to best address barriers and support facilitating factors when implementing this new…

This dissertation investigates the reasons behind the low proportion of doctoral degree holders in the global population and its potential implications. The study explores the challenges that doctoral candidates face in completing their degree, such as time constraints and research complexity, and how transformational leadership can support and…

Strands in the extant literature show many students graduate from high school illprepared to be successful in the postsecondary environment. The purpose of this study is to better understand best practices for achieving first-year student success within the realm of higher education. First-year college students may experience challenges in…

This dissertation examines the perceptions of Texas principals regarding how adequately they felt their preparation program trained them for the principalship. Across the U.S., variations in curricula and preparation exist in principal preparation programs. Varied preparation result in leaders who are not prepared to face the demanding challenges…

The researcher sought to understand how the complexities and challenges of offering high-quality professional development district-wide impacted teachers' ability to implement their new learning. The literature posits that to be considered effective, professional development must include six distinct design elements: (1) Is data driven, (2)…

This treatise aims to explore the evolution of pre-screening audition requirements for college music programs and demonstrate best practices for producing professional pre-screening audition recordings for graduate school, competitions, and music festivals. By learning and applying professional audio-video recording skills, students can learn to…