Students with emotional behavioral disorders often exhibit comorbid academic and behavior deficits and benefit from strategies that address those needs. Writing can be significantly difficult for students with EBD due to the complex requirements when completing written activities. Chapter 1 consists of two research to practice papers discussing…

Although there has been a significant increase in the number of charter schools, little is known about their science education programs from the science teachers' perspective. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic created limitations for all participants that required new untested approaches that varied depending on circumstances. The first study in this…

Youth with and at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) served in alternative education settings often experience challenges with writing due to various deficits across academic, behavioral, and social-emotional domains, especially in the area of writing. These youth also are less likely to engage in self-determination skills such as…

This investigation examines undergraduate students' perceptions of university rankings and their understanding of the factors that define a quality university, focusing on students at a Flagship State University (FSU) in the Midwest. Following responses to a survey that asked students to indicate the level of importance that rankings played in…

The interaction of proximate research universities is a multifaceted and increasingly relevant phenomenon in today's higher education landscape. The three essays herein add to science policy and innovation literature by exploring the challenges, opportunities, and expectations that arise when multiple universities operate in a region. The first…

Texas rural schools, educating more than half a million students annually, and rural schools across the nation have been under scrutiny for the inability to provide quality education through course offerings, facilities, and qualified teachers. To address this issue, the investigator utilized Spradley's (1980) seminal work, "Participant…

The quest for tertiary education by citizens has led to an unabated increase in undergraduate students' enrollment in Nigerian universities. It is disheartening that this increase has not been matched with the expected provision of residential housing or hostels and other infrastructural facilities necessary for students' career growth, success,…

This study offers a better understanding of the reasons why parents from six different countries across the Western hemisphere chose private, non-denominational schools for their children's education. The findings deepen the knowledge in what is currently an underdeveloped field of research in education. The overarching research question was: What…

The research informs the public about the CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents In School) grant program and how it is improving the academic persistence of five single-mother college students. Besides offering affordable on-campus child care that is both convenient and high quality, the CCAMPIS grant also provided these five single-mother…

The increased demand for a skilled workforce has placed new challenges on rural school districts. Students are provided the opportunity to obtain the skills required to fill the workforce needs through exemplary career and technical education programs. The purpose of this study was to identify key characteristics of exemplary career and technical…

The COVID-19 crisis upended the typical college experience as educational institutions had to close campuses and send students home mid-semester in the spring of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic left educators around the world with limited choices on how to move forward with high quality education for all. This abrupt closing of higher education…

The purpose of the research was to explore the relationship between the K-12 experienced classroom teacher attrition and work environments. Due to the myriad of factors that influenced teacher attrition, the researcher conducted the study with the focus on three variables related to work environments: (a) professional supports at administration…

Nationally, 76% of school-aged children fail to meet recommendations for 60 minutes of daily physical activity (PA). To increase school-based PA, a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) is recommended. A CSPAP is a multicomponent, "whole-of-school approach" that includes five components: (a) quality physical education,…

A lack of mathematics facility prevents many students from pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Research revealed that teaching methodology is crucial for success in any course. This dissertation focuses on learners' experiences in a flipped instructional model and a customized direct instructional model. Although…

The purpose of this study was to develop a jazz improvisation rubric for the evaluation of collegiate jazz improvisation. To create this measure, research objectives were devised to investigate the aurally-observed performer-controlled components of improvisation, which aurally-observed components should be evaluated in an improvisatory…