This study examined whether the intensive reading intervention affects annual reading level growth in middle school students to mitigate reading loss from the COVID19 school closures. Participants included struggling middle school readers (N = 101) from a rural district in east Texas. Student participant Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)…

This dissertation focuses on identifying essential characteristics of initiatives that build cooperative relationships and solidarity to advance democratically engaged community-campus partnerships. As such, it involves understanding the conditions that undermine these relationships, the critical practices that strengthen them, and the role of…

Initiatives across U.S. higher education institutions have championed diversity efforts as a top priority; however, effectiveness and overall benefits remain unclear, specifically of diversity support programs. Although universities' budgets have accommodated the costs of diversity initiatives, authentic motives and program executions remain…

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience co-occurring physical and mental health challenges throughout their lives. At the same time, they often face many barriers to accessing proper care. Strategies to improve communication and understanding can help to mitigate some of these barriers. This study examined the effects of an…

In this paper, we investigate how student enrollment in public schools is different after the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the pandemic--between the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years--about 12 percent of public elementary schools and 9 percent of middle schools experienced more than a 20 percent decline. This is a significant change from before the…

This study aimed to identify teachers' perceptions about alternative education programs and whether they are appropriate to meet the needs of at-risk students in Grades 3-5. The teachers' perception provides insight into the needs of at-risk students in the age group. Moreover, the demand for elementary education following the COVID-19 pandemic…

The current model of teaching where one teacher works individually with a group of learners in a classroom in an alternative educational setting promoted unrealistic expectations by assuming individual teachers working alone could meet the needs of all students. To address this problem, I conducted an action research study in which I explored the…

It is estimated that twenty percent of the general population has some signs of dyslexia, and eighty percent of the students eligible for special education under Specific Learning Disability (SLD) are eligible due to reading deficits. As research on dyslexia and our knowledge of best practice identification and intervention grows, it is no…

Research Findings: We examined whether Head Start teachers' depressive symptoms are associated with their engagement in high-quality conversations with children, and we considered the extent to which this association is consistent across classroom contexts and activities. Observations of Head Start teachers' conversations with children were…

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) affects 2-6% of the population. Yet, a readily accessible list of potential interventions for DD is not available or can be easily found by educators. With a large percentage of the population afflicted with DD, educators should be made aware of what supportive approaches are available. The purpose of this study was…

This study examined the successes and struggles that teachers experience while incorporating geospatial technologies (GST) into their lessons. Fourteen teachers' GST-integrated classroom lessons developed at the final stage of a semester-long graduate course were evaluated, using a TPACK-based GST-integrated lesson assessment rubric. The…

As students enter the upper elementary grades, word problems become a main component of mathematics instruction, increasing in complexity as students advance through the curriculum. For students identified as emergent bilinguals with mathematics difficulty (MD), the linguistic complexity inherent in word problems may serve as a barrier to…

The measurement instruments are part of assessment the teacher uses in assessing the learner's learning process and outcomes. So, it is very necessary to prepare teacher students for their future as teachers. The objectives of this research were 1) to develop guidelines on construction of mathematical skill and process instruments, 2) to develop…

Veterinary medicine provides a rewarding career but is met with a high degree of mental, emotional, and physical fatigue and, as a result, professional burnout. A structured mentoring system in veterinary schools is integral to promoting well-being as well as professional and personal growth for resilience and lifelong learning. While professional…

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is characterized by impulsivity and deficits in executive functioning. Given this, individuals with FASD might particularly benefit from interventions that teach them to manage their own behavior in a more adaptive manner. Using a reversal (ABAB) design, the current study investigated the effects of a…