In response to the ever increasing demand to compete in a global economy, the United States needs to prepare its students with the appropriate technical knowledge and communication skills to be competitive in the 21st century (Watson, 2007). Students must begin utilizing current technology tools during their K-12 educational experience and online…

Given the rise in students identified as having autistic-like characteristics that are impeding their ability to receive educational benefit without support, evidenced based interventions are a vital part of educational services. Children presenting with social and communication deficits require appropriate interventions in order to make progress…

This dissertation examines the type of training currently available to potential online instructors in order to generate a graduate-level degree program design effectively offering online pedagogy. Current online teacher training is largely based on acquisition of technological skills, such as mastering the operational components of a platform…

This mixed-methods study is represented by three articles that examine student achievement. The articles were developed based on the following purposes: (1) to examine teachers' conceptions about student achievement; (2) to examine teacher practices for school improvement that reflects elements of a reform model; and (3) to examine…

According to Bennis (2003), "True leaders are not born, but made, and usually self-made" (p. 33). The purpose of this study was to identify and examine what factors influenced and limited the opportunities of African American females to obtain and maintain leadership roles in administrative positions at urban schools and the value of…

The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to explore the perceptions of Nebraska teachers about their experiences in the transition from STARS to NeSA. The study explored their perceptions of the influence of the transition on implementation of a balanced assessment system. As defined by NDE, a balanced system included NeSA testing,…

Over approximately the first decade of the 21st century, Nebraska educators have experienced the development and implementation of two differing assessment systems. The STARS system, implemented in 2001, was the first standards-based assessment system that Nebraska had supported and required of schools in the state. In early 2008, the Nebraska…

This dissertation examines the question "how do ESL teachers perceive the prereferral process for identifying adolescent Latino English language learners with specific learning disabilities?" The study fits within the Latino Critical Race Theory framework and employs an interpretive phenomenological qualitative research approach.…

This study determines the strengths and weaknesses of the Special Education Competencies for School Leaders framework as adopted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The perspectives of Special Education Advisers (individuals with significant experience in serving students with disabilities) are gathered through semi-structured interviews.…

Researchers have found that as students progress through school, the importance of language grows due to the content specificity that emerges, especially in the secondary grades, and due to the preparation of these students to enter adulthood once their schooling is completed. Even as students' instruction in various content areas becomes…

This study investigated the effects of a reading strategy, repeated readings, on third grade students' reading achievement and attitudes. One hundred sixteen third grade students as members of six classrooms in one elementary school participated in this 10 week study. Using a quasi-experimental pretest posttest design, students' mean…

Student engagement has been found to be an important indicator of high quality instruction and has served as a focus for improving learning outcomes in the elementary grades. This study focuses specifically on teacher and classroom factors that may increase children's literacy engagement. Participants of this study were selected from…

Recent advances in the understanding of the relations between cognitive abilities and academic skills have helped shape a better understanding of which cognitive processes may underlie different types of SLD (Flanagan, Fiorello, & Ortiz, 2010). Similarities and differences in cognitive-achievement relations for children with and without SLDs…

The purpose of this study was to determine the physical, social, cognitive, and language outcomes of targeted Title I preschool students participating in programs not meeting and programs meeting Nebraska Department of Education, Early Childhood Evaluation Rating Scales-Revised (ECERS-R) requirements. As more requirements are being required for…

The purpose of this study was to identify the most critical institutional policies and practices deemed essential for the effective development and governance of systemic, effective developmental education programs in community colleges through the perspective of community college administrators. This study ranked community college leaders'…