Despite the use of literacy coaching to help improve the instructional practices of teachers and increase reading achievement, data of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) indicate that Florida's students are averaging about 60% below NAEP proficient level. This dissertation reported the results of a nonexperimental study that…

While numerous studies have been conducted to determine the impact of grade retention on future academic achievement and psychosocial development, few studies have targeted Florida-specific grade retention as mandated by Florida law. As it exists today, there is very little evidence that the practice of retaining students resulted in increased…

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to analyze the extent to which the proportion of IEP students in inclusionary classrooms covaried with turnover intention for K-5 general education teachers in Florida. The researcher employed a quantitative research approach with a correlational research design. The sample was drawn on…

Parents compare the costs of sending their children to private Christian schools with the benefits of their children attending the schools. Christian school leaders benefit from understanding the factors influencing parents' decisions to enroll their children in Christian private schools. In this qualitative study, the researcher interviewed nine…

Standardized testing is generally regarded in schools today as the primary way to measure and determine student achievement. Student performance determines the degree to which schools, teachers, and students are identified as being successful. The problem being investigated by this study was that all students are spending too much classroom…

An increasing number of U.S. teachers of English Language Learners (ELL) across the nation are not receiving adequate in-service training to provide instruction within students' zone of proximal development (ZPD). Vygotsky's ZPD is the difference between what a person can achieve when acting alone and what the same person can achieve when acting…

The reading achievement gap between Black and White students was 29 points in Florida, depicting an alarming eight-point increase over that of the United States. Within School District A, the reading achievement gap was over 40% for over 4 years resulting in a district-wide plan for reconciliation and to determine the contributing factors of the…

Schools in Florida used the multitiered system of support response to intervention framework to help students achieve the state and national standards but, in the national report card, 61% of the fourth-graders assessed in mathematics failed to achieve proficiency. Research indicated that the students lacked mathematical word problem-solving…

This study aimed to compare the performance of elementary students on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in reading and mathematics between students who received SES services in grades 3-5 and students who qualified for free SES services, but did not receive SES services. Title I funds are set aside annually to pay private providers…

The role of politicians is integral within the public school system. Politician influence directly the policies that impact student achievement. The impact could be based on ideologies. These ideologies could influence a significant difference in Black student achievement. In preparing for this study, the researcher was unable to find…

This paper describes a qualitative case study designed to examine the challenges to effective science instruction faced by elementary teachers and examine the influence those challenges have on teachers' science teaching practices. Data were gathered through a questionnaire administered to over 240 teachers in a northern Florida school district…

The No Child Left Behind Act requires all students be proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014, and students in subgroups to make Adequate Yearly Progress. One of these groups is students with disabilities, who continue to score well below their general education peers. This quantitative study identified scoring differences between disability…

This descriptive research study was conducted to determine the state of perceived teacher morale and student academic performance as measured by fourth-grade reading and math scores among four elementary schools defined by the servant leadership score of each principal in this Florida elementary school district. While related research from other…

This comparative case study investigated integrated reading-writing instruction (IRWI) as an approach for writing instruction implemented after the adoption of Common Core State Standards (NGA & CCSSO, 2010a). Specifically, I explored the nature of IRWI through video-recorded observations of writing instruction, teachers' perspectives towards…

This dissertation was designed to examine the effects of a site-based teacher mentoring program on teacher confidence and effectiveness in an elementary school in Florida. Based on preliminary data, there was a need for system organizational change to improve teacher confidence and performance with the district's Document Based Question (DBQ)…