Even though digital technologies are ubiquitous in education, assessment methods continue to employ traditional assessments even though they are inadequate to provide information about a student's reasoning and conceptual understanding. Digital-based assessment models allow students to demonstrate higher-order skills while integrating digital…

To help school leaders understand the association between social media use and adolescents' mental health, the Center for Public Education (CPE) of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) reviewed over a hundred relevant empirical studies, professional or federal research papers, and media articles. This report attempts to answer the…

This book provides theoretical answers, applied methodological models, and didactic experiences that seek to reflect and analyze the potentialities and challenges of the active learning concept in STEAM disciplines and social sciences education. It also contributes to the understanding, intervention, and resolution of contemporary social problems…

Policymakers and educators have attempted to "reform" or fix schools in different ways. However studies suggest these reforms have produced, at best, mixed results (Fullan, 2011; Taylor & Tyler, 2012; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2015) and did little to close racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps…

There are many concerns from early childhood educators regarding allowing children to use technology, pointing to the adverse effects of screen time and barriers such as lack of resources. To support advocating CT in early childhood settings using technology, this dissertation proposes solutions and resources for early childhood educators by…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and understand, from the perspective of experienced Special Education Teachers, successful practices and barriers in meeting the needs of students with emotional disturbance (ED) in Special Education Alternative programs. The study aims to gain an in-depth understanding, from the lived…

Learning management systems (LMS) are one of the most used educational technologies in higher education. It has been argued that LMSs have not reached their full potential since most are used for distributing materials, not for improving interaction and communications in classes. To better understand what influences LMS tool use, this study used…

This study explored the practices that can mitigate a hostile school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth and the barriers that negatively affect implementation of those practices. LGBTQ youth are at higher risk for bullying, harassment, and other characteristics of a harsh learning environment, which can result…

Given the academic achievement of students with disabilities, as well as school accountability measures, school leaders are tasked with improving learning outcomes of students served in special education programs. However, there are principals and assistant principals who may be unable to effectively fulfill their role as instructional leader for…

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are increasingly selecting to participate in postsecondary education. These individuals often face a number of challenges and barriers to success resulting in poor persistence and completion rates. For institutions of higher education, it is imperative that appropriate supports be put in place and…

While many education researchers have characterized the impromptu nature of classroom teaching as "improvisation," few studies of teacher education or professional development (PD) have examined the potential of improvisation workshops for equipping teachers to face unforeseen classroom moments productively. In this dissertation, I…

Beginning in the early 1990s, many school districts began to implement zero-tolerance discipline policies that relied heavily on the use of suspensions. As a result, the number of students removed from the classroom and the school environment has dramatically increased over the past 30 years. To increase school safety and combat the rise of school…

Feedback from teachers is critical for student academic success, but is all feedback created equal? Within this critical participatory action research study, a teacher and her students in ninth-grade English language arts (ELA) classes in a suburban high school endeavored to transform their mindsets and practices related to giving, receiving, and…

Despite the increased percentage of students with disabilities learning in an inclusive setting, the achievement gap remained wide between students with and without disabilities. Largely absent from research was an exploration of effective inclusive practices in secondary schools, a lack of clear guidelines for inclusive practices, implementation,…

ASSISTments is a free online learning tool for improving students' mathematics achievement by providing immediate feedback and hints to students, detailed information on how students performed to teachers, and instructional suggestions for teachers to use. Researchers at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation conducted an intrinsic,…