This dissertation adds to the economic study of gun and marijuana laws. Chapter 1 studies the impact of stand your ground laws (SYGs) on traffic fatalities. Chapter 2 investigates the effects of campus concealed carry laws (CCCs) on higher education outcomes. Chapter 3 looks at the impact of medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on youth crimes. The first…

Achievement and opportunity gaps have continued to persist despite the best efforts of educators. "The Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA, 2016) legislation was written to meet the needs of all historically underserved students. To meet those needs, Local Education Agencies (LEA) have turned to a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)…

Students with reading difficulties often struggle to monitor their reading, which limits their ability to become independent readers. To foster development of self-monitoring skills in the process of reading, strategies for monitoring one's own reading performance should be incorporated into existing reading interventions. However, there is a lack…

Society today has vastly integrated technology into every industry, and this is no different for psychotherapy and education. Increasing research supports utilizing technology to deliver Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles. Specifically, current literature supports the use of CBT for students experiencing anger regulation difficulties…

In order to prepare pre-service teachers for their roles in the classroom, it is important to examine the rigor and purpose of the mentoring experience. This study explored the aspects of co-planning conversations that helped experienced and novice teachers expand their expertise and develop a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship at the…

Researchers have provided evidence of the effects of academic engagement on the achievement of all students. Despite the known benefits of academic engagement, low rates of engagement have been reported across studies examining engagement rates of students with extensive support needs (ESN). Students with ESN are often placed in more restrictive…

The achievement gap is a historic and pervasive issue of social justice in education. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has further stalled student achievement in reading and math, amplifying the urgency for accelerating student learning to close the gap. The third grade is a critical year for literacy in education; if students have not mastered…

The field of teacher education is witnessing what some may characterize as an Ethnic Studies Education turn. Growing support for the movement for K-12 Ethnic Studies is revealing a necessary (re)imagining of what education can become and subsequently how and why teacher education must change. In this article, I use portraiture to share the…

In this study, it is aimed to investigate the effect of the Context-based Instruction Applications, prepared using verbal problems with real-life content and scenarios, on the level of pre-service teachers' learning areas of "heat and temperature" and "movement and force" and their level of creating contexts in daily life. The…

Parents and teachers have identified the social inclusion of students with complex support needs as one of the most important components of school participation. Previous research has found that the opportunities for, and importance of, social contacts for students with complex support needs vary by educational placement. The purpose of this study…

During the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the primary concerns of the university leaders was students' mental health. Through the action research cycle, a university-based Center was created to promote the well-being of college students. The current research is an observation phase of the action research. The purpose of this study is…

Parents and teachers have identified the social inclusion of students with complex support needs as one of the most important components of school participation. Previous research has found that the opportunities for, and importance of, social contacts for students with complex support needs vary by educational placement. The purpose of this study…

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is a critical tool for accessing information and instruction among students with visual impairment (VI). This systematic review examined eight CAI intervention studies implemented with 92 U.S. school-age children with VI. The interventions were implemented with a diverse group of students across a variety of…

This is the first in an occasional series on the dramatic national push to revamp how reading is being taught in the earliest grades. This EdSource special report examines the state of early reading in California, the needs of special learners, teacher preparation and training and curricula and textbooks that are driving instruction. This ongoing…

The purpose of this study was to determine to what degree significant academic gains occurred in English/language arts and mathematics achievement for students who attended the after-school program compared to the students who did not participate in the after-school program. This study was significant in that it examined the impact of structured…