The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between race, high school graduation, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and four-year college-going rates. The setting included 89 school districts that were located in two adjacent suburban counties in New York State: Nassau and Suffolk. A Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis,…

This phenomenological study design explored the lived experiences of teachers' perceptions of virtual professional experiences through the lens of adult learning theory. The participants were comprised of elementary educators from a suburban county in New York state. The participants in this study were all forced to shift to virtual teaching and…

This article examines the needs in New York State for public policy to address disparities in educational outcomes, opportunities to learn and appropriate evaluations that assess student readiness to advance in their education or work opportunities. Several proposals for educational public policy changes and practices are offered in the conclusion…

Amid the pedagogical and leadership shifts that the COVID pandemic placed on the K-12 educational landscape, the pandemic itself brought to light the systems that need to be in place for technology to be effectively integrated in classrooms and school buildings. The COVID transition period has produced a technology rebirth in K-12 schools across…

The COVID-19 school shutdown took students out of the school building and into the virtual classroom. With this, students lost opportunities to connect with their peers and school members. With students reentering the schools, there is a great need for structures built within the school day for community building. Restorative circles are safe…

This study explored the role of school superintendents and board of education trustees in closing the achievement gap, which can be defined as "the disparity in academic performance between groups of students" (Muhammad, 2015, p. 14). District leaders (superintendents and school boards) set the priorities and policies in their school…

The purpose of this article was to explore the differences in opportunity to learn between higher and lower achieving schools. Additionally, the teachers' perception of Opportunity to Learn (OTL) as it relates to students' achievement were investigated. Teachers were surveyed to investigate any difference in their perceptions of opportunity to…

This article aims to provide school leaders with preliminary information and initial insight into the challenges they face when they seek to hire, retain, and sustain a diverse workforce. This article brings together some essential facts about the lack of diversity in the school district workforce in New York and outlines an array of steps school…

This article describes the experiences of Molloy College teachers in the field and alumni who joined teachers in their respective Long Island districts to transform education and provide service and leadership during COVID-19 school closures. The COVID-19 experience taught the alumni and all educators a few things about online teaching that…

This case study analyzed a unique doctoral program in education at Dowling College, Long Island, New York that had an 88% graduation rate within seven years that included 60% of students of color in contrast with doctoral graduation rates in the United States that are an average of 38% within seven years with only 24% students of color graduating.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among K-12 student attendance rates, English language learners, poverty, suspension rates, and students with disabilities. The setting of this study was 94 school districts from New York State's Nassau and Suffolk counties, a suburban region adjacent to New York City. The results of this…

In 2018, the Superintendents and College Presidents Partnership (SCPP), a consortium of 15 colleges and universities, charged the Long Island Regional Advisory Council of Higher Education (LIRACHE) Writing Task Force, consisting of secondary and post-secondary ELA educators, with gathering information on the transition between high school and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among technology use, per pupil spending and school district-wide student achievement. The setting of this study was 94 school districts from New York State's Nassau and Suffolk counties, a suburban region adjacent to New York City. The results of this study showed that technology use had…

The purpose of this study is to examine the readiness of school districts in Suffolk County, New York, to implement a trauma-informed system to address the growing needs of mental health interventions in student populations. A review of the literature showed a historical prevalence of mental health providers and individual student interventions…

During the past two decades there has been a concentrated effort to enact standards-based education reforms at the federal, state, and local levels. Following a grounded theory approach, this article examines the experiences of secondary social studies teachers who have been directly impacted by the incorporation of English Language Arts based…