The national shortage of school counselors has left approximately 8 million students without access to a school counselor (American School Counselor Association, 2021). The lack of adequate counseling services negatively affects graduation rates, college enrollment, and behavior issues (Lapan et al., 2012). This phenomenological study explores 11…

The intended outcome of this qualitative study was to provide valuable information that could improve pre-service teacher education programs and inclusion professional development programs, as well as help guide school-based administrators on how to better support co-teaching at the secondary level. In order to accomplish the outcome, the purpose…

The Pennsylvania Department of Education revised the statewide graduation requirement (Act 158) to include postsecondary preparedness effective with the 2023 graduation class. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was adopted to mandate schools to provide the resources to assist students to meet academic standards leading to career and college…

Career readiness has become an expected outcome of earning a college degree, but employers and much of the public believe that graduates lack the skills necessary to be effective in the workplace. However, undergraduates, and especially those involved in cocurricular activities, routinely describe themselves competent in their abilities prior to…

With the needs of the workforce continuously changing, community colleges need to be able to adapt quickly in providing students with the skills they need to be successful in the workforce (Baird & Parayitam, 2019; Beckem & Watkins, 2012). Many employers claim that a common problem among college graduates is that they are not consistently…

Quality and accountability remain meaningful discussions for university-based traditional educator preparation programs (EPPs) that prepare most new teachers. A fundamental premise of this study is to create rigorous and transparent measures that are intentionally designed and aligned with pre-service teacher (PST) readiness standards, which is…

This study explored incorporating immersive environments into the simulation-based training of paramedics to enhance engagement and improve work-readiness status by developing more authentic simulation scenarios. The training of paramedics must move past traditional practices and critically explore better ways to prepare paramedics to perform with…

Work-based learning (WBL) is a form of education that combines classroom learning with practical work experience. This approach is becoming increasingly popular as it helps students develop a range of skills employers highly value, such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, and leadership. This professional practice dissertation (PPD)…

In 2023, the value of a college education is being questioned. Because information is readily available, we Google what we want to know, type a query or phrase into ChatGPT, press the enter key, and then a multitude of answers become accessible. However, in this age of technology, online access, and Artificial Intelligence, could self-directed…

Maryland has a strong educational system with a state legislature actively establishing policy through legislation to benefit its citizens. Often these legislated policies need to be implemented with benchmarks or considerations for the differences between the counties. This study addressed the impact of dual enrollment programs created by…

This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and non-CTE high school graduates regarding CTE programs. Utilizing an anonymous online survey, data from 51 respondents were analyzed to explore viewpoints on valuable CTE programs, their influence on career trajectories and education, acquired skills,…

Teachers have had to use standards to teach with since the 1980's. The CCRS has made a significant shift in how standards are written and the expectations of students in learning them. With the three-dimensional design, teachers are required to change their pedagogy in order to implement the standards with fidelity. That requires training,…

Undergraduate students' career readiness is an important topic among educators, including how career-ready skills are developed and demonstrated to prospective employers. The impact of COVID-19 on the career readiness of undergraduate students is multifaceted, given the extent to which the pandemic may have affected their career planning and…

The general problem addressed by this study was the lack of flexibility in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I student-athletes' schedules for field-specific courses while enrolled in an undergraduate degree program. Student-athletes have schedules that can be very restrictive and could hinder their preparation for…

This dissertation served as a case study that examined the impact of a districtwide system of support drawn from existing literature and organizational structure and management. The identified framework, the Limelight County College and Career Readiness Intervention (LCRI) Framework, utilized the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle of improvement…