The Kansas Department of Education has set high goals for academic achievement and postsecondary success. The data trends over the last five years fail to demonstrate progress towards those goals. Learning has been negatively impacted by the effects of the learning environments during the COVID pandemic. The source for achieving those goals is…

This quantitative, multiple time-series, correlational and quasi-experimental study examined the impact gratitude journaling had on the subjective happiness of high school students. In total, 85 student participants were stratified by grade and course before being assigned to a control group (n = 27) or treatment group the treatment group (n =…

The ethnic and racial representation disparity gap among college presidents in the United States is 83% White and 17% ethnically/racially diverse (Gagliardi et al., 2017). In this qualitative study, I explored the career pipeline experiences of a cohort of 10 ethnically and racially diverse college presidents in the United States. Critical race…

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) justifies its power and regulatory structure as necessary to promote competitive balance. Despite this, there is limited research on the efficacy of NCAA policies that were implemented with the intention of supporting more parity in Division I conferences. This study examined whether the 2015…

Necessary skills for a 21st-century workforce have evolved from an Industrial Age skill set to a knowledge-based, Fourth Industrial Revolution, skill set. As a result, we must consider how we develop teacher efficacy in instruction aligned with these identifiable 21st-century competencies. If teacher efficacy has a high impact on student learning…

Building a culturally responsive school allows for teachers to expand their teaching practices to individualize instruction based on students' culture and background. Teachers must do this even more so now as many students have suffered severe learning loss due to school closures during the pandemic. Culturally Responsive Teaching allow teachers…

This dissertation uses three empirical papers to examine the relationship between student gender, student's income expectations for the future, and persistence in schooling. First, I use survey data from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) to examine how both children's and parent's earnings expectations for students in 12th grade vary by…

Research results from the past decade on the efficacy of online instruction for high school students varies. While many researchers suggested that younger students, mathematics students, and already struggling students who take online classes were underperforming compared to their classmates in the same course taken face-to-face (f2f), other…

Postsecondary institutions, especially selective ones, use standardized tests such as SAT and ACT as important indicators to measure applicants' academic abilities. However, many studies have found that the test scores correlate to applicants' racial/ethnic backgrounds. Selective institutions work hard to secure their diverse classes. Hence, more…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the importance of valuing building culture, teacher autonomy, teacher efficacy, and teacher salary as it pertains to Indiana millennial teachers. The research was based on the millennial mindset and how that mindset can influence culture, autonomy, and efficacy. As a millennial myself, my…

The quantitative nonexperimental correlational study examines principals' attitudes towards intelligence and inclusion and the academic growth of students with disabilities. Additionally, the study comparatively examined principals' attitudes toward intelligence and inclusion across 11 demographic factors. The Theories of Intelligence Scale --…

Using data with detailed instructor employment information from a state college system, this study examines disciplinary variations in the characteristics and effects of non-tenure-track faculty hired through temporary and long-term employment. We identify substantial differences in demographic and employment characteristics between the two types…

This study examines the role of self-concept regarding mathematical ability in explaining the gender gap in advanced mathematics performance of US high school students. The study is based on data generated from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 1995-2015), a large-scale project which investigated the relationship between…

Prior research suggests that social relations may play a role in explaining individual differences in cognitive functioning in older adulthood. In particular, early life maternal relationship quality (MRQ) has been shown to be a strong predictor of later-life socioemotional outcomes and may also contribute to later-life cognitive outcomes. The…

Based on a synthesis of persistence theory and the empirical literature, an online doctoral program integration model was developed using data from 232 online EdD students. A predictive, correlation design and regression analysis were used to examine if personal factors (gender, race, age, marital status, and presence of children in the home) and…