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Full-Text Articles in Education

Professional Learning Community Perceptions For Propelling Academic Growth In A Rural North Carolina School System, Steven E. Howard Jan 2023

Professional Learning Community Perceptions For Propelling Academic Growth In A Rural North Carolina School System, Steven E. Howard

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Small rural schools often struggle to facilitate true professional learning communities (PLCs) when there is one teacher per grade level in the building. The district selected for this study contained four elementary schools with one teacher per grade level and a combined middle and high school to collect perception data. Utilizing a concurrent triangulation design method, this dissertation set out to answer three research questions by analyzing the perceptions of PLCs from the lens of teachers and administrators. The research questions focused on collective efficacy impacts, student achievement impacts, and the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on PLC operations. These impacts were …


Middle School Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sherria La Vonne Grubbs Jan 2023

Middle School Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sherria La Vonne Grubbs

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This paper examines the perceptions of middle school teachers on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on student achievement, attendance and enrollment, mental health, and social and economic factors. Allowing the voices of the middle school teachers to be heard was important to this study because it helped to identify some key themes of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education. For this qualitative research study, a survey was created with Google Forms and a focus group discussion was implemented using the zoom platform to gather and collect data for this study. 67 middle school teachers were invited to …


The Impact Of Professional Development On Specially Designed Instruction For Students With A Specific Learning Disability, Stacy H. Huffman Jan 2023

The Impact Of Professional Development On Specially Designed Instruction For Students With A Specific Learning Disability, Stacy H. Huffman

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This research study, rooted in the theoretical framework of phenomenology, examined the impact of professional development related to specially designed instruction for students with a learning disability in reading. Teachers of students who had mastered at least 50% of their IEP goals in reading or had exited from special education services were the participants in this study. In addition to the teachers, administrators and district staff who worked with these teachers and students were included. Through a mixed methods research design, 47 participants were surveyed using Qualtrics, and 14 participants were interviewed. Findings demonstrated that professional development related to specially …


Why Remain Where It Seems To Be Difficult? An Analysis Of Teacher Retention At High-Poverty Middle Schools In Eastern North Carolina, Kevin Smith Jan 2023

Why Remain Where It Seems To Be Difficult? An Analysis Of Teacher Retention At High-Poverty Middle Schools In Eastern North Carolina, Kevin Smith

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study sought to identify how teachers perceived the effectiveness of administrative support, induction program support, and mentor support. This study addressed the following research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between the perceived effectiveness of their administrative support and teaching in a high-poverty school for beginning middle school teachers in eastern North Carolina? (b) Is there a relationship between the perceived effectiveness of their induction program and teaching in a high-poverty school for beginning middle school teachers in eastern North Carolina? (c) Is there a relationship between the perceived effectiveness of their mentor and teaching in a high-poverty school …


Perceptions Of Paraprofessionals On The Grow Your Own Teacher Program In Three Rural School Districts In Eastern North Carolina, Tony Faison Jan 2023

Perceptions Of Paraprofessionals On The Grow Your Own Teacher Program In Three Rural School Districts In Eastern North Carolina, Tony Faison

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The Grow Your Own Teacher (GYOT) program addresses the shortage of qualified teachers by recruiting and training community residents to become qualified teachers. These programs look and feel like community-building strategies instead of teacher pipeline strategies. The GYOT initiative is not new, but the mainstream absorption of the GYOT initiative presents an exciting opportunity to link education policy and neighborhood revitalization more closely. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of paraprofessionals on the GYOT program in three rural school districts in eastern North Carolina. The conceptual framework was based on Yosso's (2005) Cultural Wealth Model, …


The Implementation And Impact Of The Teacher Evaluation Process On Special Educator Professional Growth In A Public Middle School, Michael L. Lefko Jan 2023

The Implementation And Impact Of The Teacher Evaluation Process On Special Educator Professional Growth In A Public Middle School, Michael L. Lefko

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This mixed methods program evaluation examined teacher and administrator perceptions regarding fidelity of implementation of components of the teacher evaluation program with middle school special education teachers. These components include pre-conferences, observations, and post-conferences; summary evaluations; and professional development plans. Incorporating evidence from qualitative interviews with school-based administrators, qualitative focus groups with special education teachers, and a quantitative survey with special education teachers, this study found that fidelity of implementation of the components of teacher evaluation is impacted by evaluator capacity. Capacity is defined as both, time to engage in the components of teacher evaluation and professional knowledge of special …


The Communications Process For On-Track Mentoring Programs At The High School Level, Kayla M. Barbare Jan 2023

The Communications Process For On-Track Mentoring Programs At The High School Level, Kayla M. Barbare

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Comparable to other schools in the local education agency, this mid-sized rural high school’s On-Track program utilized early warning indicators to track the well-being of students and to determine what actions needed to occur to promote student success. Through various meetings, the mid-sized rural high school’s On-Track stakeholders indicated areas for improvement, specifically in the area of communications. The On-Track program stakeholders expressed how they desired to improve stakeholder involvement and collaboration and enhance how program information is shared. The purpose of this study was to analyze the literature, theoretical frameworks, and data utilizing a mixed methodology approach in order …


Efficacy, Attitudes, And Collaboration Of Co-Teaching For Middle School General And Special Educators, Ellenita Blanton Jan 2023

Efficacy, Attitudes, And Collaboration Of Co-Teaching For Middle School General And Special Educators, Ellenita Blanton

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate how general and special educators’ attitudes, efficacy, and collaboration promote co-teaching relationships that benefit exceptional students in urban middle schools. The impacts of co-teaching on the attitudes, efficacy, and collaboration of secondary teachers were explored. A questionnaire was distributed to general and special education teachers, and focus groups were held. The methodology included using a quantitative phase and a qualitative phase research design to collect the data. The quantitative measure used was surveys. Participants, who were qualified, were chosen for the interview and focus group portions of the study. In …