The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover, from the First-Year Experience student perspective, how the course might be improved to better meet their needs in the post-pandemic environment. The transitional experiences of first-year college students and best practices for the First-Year Experience course curriculum have…

This dissertation aims to explore the formal development practices of educational leaders and the extent to which leaders are being trained to serve as change agents within their roles. The researcher identifies development processes and practices that positively impacted participants and enabled them to apply their learning while currently…

Genius Hour, also known as 20% Time, was coined by Daniel Pink (2009) and is an inquiry-based approach to business and learning grounded in autonomy and intrinsic motivation, ultimately, encouraging critical, creative thinking and problem-solving (Juliani, 2016).The review of related literature examined a specific type of inquiry-based learning…

Community college enrollment has seen a significant shift in student demographics, including the decline of White students from 60% in 2001 to 46.2% in 2017 (American Association of Community Colleges, 2019), whereas efforts to diversify senior leadership have had little success (Rodriguez, 2015). Examining literature from peer-reviewed journals,…

Educational video games often engage students intuitively with visuals with quick, responsive actions to immerse students in authentic disciplinary practice. In contrast, typical formal learning environments engage students in conscious reflection with visual representations to understand underlying disciplinary concepts. Research has examined how…

The purpose of this study was to explore the need for an individualized curriculum within special education for students living with autism spectrum disorder. Previously conducted research disclosed a need for further research to understand the differentiation of curriculum for students living with autism spectrum disorder. The research question…

District systems supporting the school-level implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a multi-tiered framework organizing the delivery of a continuum of evidence-based practices promoting positive student social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes, are critical to its success. While literature recognizes the…

This study examined the impact of a newly created Academic Advising Professional Development (AAPD) online program focused on the three major components of the "Concept of Academic Advising" for new and experienced advisors. The four-unit training, created in Blackboard, was designed to educate advisors on the meaning and application of…

Principals are leaving their schools at an alarming rate each year, and this turnover can have detrimental effects on school culture and student achievement. The aim of this study was to improve principal job satisfaction, in an effort to increase retention in the position at Vision Schools where there have been 14 principals in eight years for…

Virtual learning has been used by K-12 education for decades but has recently been on the rise as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. School districts have found this mode of instruction to be very effective as it offers a personalized approach with greater flexibility for certain learners. This professional practice dissertation discussed the…

"Word Study with Multilingual Learners: Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Instruction" is the most complete resource available for teachers to use as you facilitate research-based word study in classrooms with students from varying language backgrounds. Empower your students to grasp this new language at the word level, building skills…

Student demographics in K-12 education have changed dramatically over the past few decades. Classrooms are increasingly more linguistically, culturally, and racially diverse than ever before, yet our educator workforce remains predominantly white. Moreover, racial and cultural opportunity gaps continue to widen. In this ethnographic case study,…

The California State University (CSU) Project Rebound is a re-entry program that provides educational, social, financial, and case management to formerly incarcerated college students with the goal of helping them become successful post-incarceration and post-graduation. This exploratory study examines successful career-building strategies…

The act of making provides students with an opportunity to create and design by using materials and technologies. Scholars who examine learning through making maintain that maker approaches to solving problems, creating designs, and thinking about real-world ideas promote the development of abstract thinking skills, such as modeling, and…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the degree of variance in work value preferences espoused by university students based on whether the students are in possession of work experience and experience abroad. Vocational identity development (VID) was used as a theoretical lens to explore the extent to which being in possession of…