Elementary Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between Participants In The Certificate Of Educational Technology And Information Literacy (Coetail) Program And Professional Capital, Benjamin J. Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

This study aimed to explore how educators involved in the Certificate of Educational Technology and Information Literacy (COETAIL) program perceived the development of their professional capital within an online, cohort-based professional learning community. Based on Hargreaves and Fullan’s (2012) concept of professional capital, which includes human, social, and decisional capital, and guided by social learning theories, the study examined participants’ perceptions of professional capital development, the program features related to that development, and how participation influenced their professional paths. The research focused on international school settings, where educators often rely on networked professional learning because of geographic mobility and limited …

Supporting K-5 Computer Science Integration Through High-Quality Teacher Professional Development, Shanan Chappell Moots, Joanna K. Garner, Joseph A. Brobst, Melani Loney, Lisa Steffian, Jennifer Maeng

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

Workforce development and education leaders have increasingly emphasized the need for high-quality computer science (CS) instruction for K-12 students. Though states have created and mandated the implementation of CS curriculum standards, few in-service teachers have been provided sufficient opportunities to develop CS pedagogical content knowledge and self-efficacy. This study evaluated the effect of a CS integration professional development (PD) program on K-5 teachers' perceptions of their capacity to teach CS and their implementation of CS-integrated lessons using a randomized controlled trial design. Treatment included an intensive online summer institute with school year follow-up. Results indicate statistically significant effects of the …

A Review Of The Effect The Kentucky Center For School Safety Has On Kentucky School District’S Safe Schools Data, Patricia Greer

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The study examines the impact of the Kentucky Center for School Safety on safety data from Kentucky Schools. The data consisted of behavior events reported in the Safe Schools Data collected from the student information system, Infinite Campus. The analysis was conducted using interaction data from the Kentucky Center for School Safety and behavioral data from Kentucky Public Schools.

A Systematic Literature Review Of The Possible Negative Impacts Of Overconsumption Of Mass Media And Technology On Elementary-Aged Members Of Generation Z (1997–2012) And Generation Alpha (2013–2024), Ashya Y. Warren

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the possible negative impacts of overconsumption of mass media and technology on the elementary-aged members of Generation Z (1997-2012) and Generation Alpha (2013-2024). This research is aimed at establishing the relationship between excessive and uncontrolled exposure to digital media and cognitive, emotional, social, behavioral, and academic difficulties at a critical period of child growth. The purpose of this systematic literature review can be explained by the author's experience with technology overuse and professional interests as a future teacher, who should be prepared to help promote healthy childhood and development. The systematic literature review was based on peer-reviewed …

Bison Detectives: Place Based Walk Lesson Plan For Msum Regional Science Center, Caylin Kelly

OER Materials

This lesson takes students on a detective walk at the MSUM Regional Science Center to answer the question, “How do we know bison lived in this area even though we do not see them?” Students observe a bison hide and look for clues in the prairie, such as tracks, bones, plants, and wallows. They share ideas, ask questions, and record their observations in a notebook. Students learn how to use evidence to support their ideas. This lesson connects students to local history and nature while helping them think like scientists.

Stuck In The Middle?: A Design Project To Support Do Not Qualify (Dnq) And Other Struggling Students At The Elementary Level, Steven T. Hartnett, Kevin M. Parkinson, Whitney M. Wayman

Doctor of Education Capstones

This dissertation in practice is designed to support New Kent County Public Schools, which noticed an increase in students being referred for special education services without a concomitant increase in students being found eligible for such services. Systems mapping revealed a root cause of this discrepancy is that the division lacked a comprehensive intervention plan consistently implemented, and - as a result - some students were referred for special education services not due to the presence of a potential learning disability, but merely for lack of other available options. Using tenets from design thinking and design-based research, the project co-created …

Leveraging Funds Of Knowledge And Funds Of Identity: Exploring Equitable Strategies For Diverse Classroom Settings, Evana Nusrat Dooty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study explores how elementary teachers in the U.S. perceive and incorporate students’ Funds of Knowledge (FoK) and Funds of Identity (FoI) to promote equity in diverse classroom settings. A review of literature highlights the significance of culturally responsive pedagogy, FoK & FoI frameworks, and equity-oriented teaching practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect participants’ perspectives on leveraging students’ home and community knowledge in instructional planning and classroom interactions. Lesson plans were collected from all participants to get idea about how they could utilize  FoK and FoI approach in their classroom instruction. The findings highlight the need for teacher preparation …

Preparing Elementary Teachers Through Targeted Science Content And Hands-On Learning, Manar Yamany, Jeffrey Carver, Susie Huggins, Arooj Justin, Yuanhua Wang

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Concurrent Session Papers

This session presents an instructional approach implemented in the undergraduate course Science for Elementary Educators, designed to intentionally align science content instruction with the specific learning needs of future elementary teachers. The course focuses on developing conceptual understanding in core elementary science domains, physical science, life science, and earth and space science, while modeling developmentally appropriate instructional practices suitable for elementary classrooms.

The teaching practice emphasizes hands-on, inquiry-based science experiences that reflect the types of learning activities preservice teachers are expected to facilitate with their own students, while engaging with the content at a deeper conceptual level appropriate for …

Working With Parents & Guardians: Asset-Based Communication + Conference Simulation (4-Day Sequence), Carissa State Gober

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

This four‑day instructional sequence prepares teacher candidates to communicate with parents and guardians using an asset‑based, professional, and ethically grounded approach. The unit emphasizes prioritizing student strengths, shared goals, and contextual understanding while avoiding deficit‑focused language. Candidates begin by engaging in a Socratic Seminar grounded in research on effective family communication, allowing them to surface key themes, misconceptions, and questions. They then learn a structured conference script, analyze communication tips embedded within it, and practice applying the format through peer role‑play. Subsequent sessions focus on selecting and presenting data in family‑friendly ways, reframing challenges into needs and supports, and using …

Framing The Gray: A Photovoice Study Of Parents’ Experiences Supporting Elementary Mathematics Learning At Home, Rebekah Ulmer

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This narrative photovoice study explored how elementary parents understand their role in supporting mathematics at home. The research asked three foundational questions: How do parents of elementary students describe their personal experiences with learning mathematics? How do parents of elementary students describe their experiences with supporting mathematics at home with their children? What factors influence parents' experiences with mathematics? Fourteen parents, eight with experience as educators and six without, participated by sharing photographs in response to five prompts and discussing what those images meant to them. Their stories revealed that, for these families, mathematics isn't neatly divided into “school math” …

The Monster Consuming American Education: An Ethnodramatic Exploration Of Standardized Testing And Student Stress, Jennifer Bagley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study looks at how elementary students experience Standardized Testing, focusing on the emotional and physical effects of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS). Most research on high-stakes testing focuses on scores, accountability, and policy, but fewer studies look at how students actually describe these experiences. Grounded in Cultural Studies and informed by Critical Pedagogy, this study examines how students interpret and make meaning of their testing experiences within the broader culture of accountability and standardized assessment. This study focuses on student voices to better understand what testing feels like for them and how they make sense of it in …

Ai Policy In Virginia Public Schools: A Comparative Analysis, Jesse Senechal, Jamelle Simmons, Jonathan D. Becker, Melissa Ware, Michael Broda, Kindy Anderson, Eric Byers, Kiana Bradford, Thea Racelis, Meleah Ellison

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy review explores policy implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in Virginia public schools. It is part of a two part series with a companion report focused on AI implications for PK-12 teaching and learning. The report has two parts:

1. A review of the AI policy landscape around PK-12 education
2. Virginia AI policy analysis

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for PK-12 policy and practice.

Ai In Pk-12 Education: Implications For Teaching And Learning, David Naff, Meleah Ellison, Casey Bailey, Tzu-Wei Wang, Kiana Bradford

MERC Publications

This research and policy review from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) explores the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for teaching and learning in public PK-12 education. It is part of a two part series with a companion report focused on AI implications for PK-12 policy. The report explores two questions:

1. How is AI shaping teaching and instructional practice?
2. How is AI shaping student learning and development?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for PK-12 policy and practice.

Exploring Phonics Intervention For Elementary Students, Hallee Thomas

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Acquisition Of English Proficiency By English Language Learners In The Elementary Grades: An Event History Analysis, Elisabete Sousa

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

It is important that educators develop a deeper understanding of the process by which English Language Learners (ELL) acquire English proficiency. This hypothesis-generating event history study followed 285 Grade K-5 ELLs in a suburban public school district in New York State. Its longitudinal component used Kaplan-Meier techniques to provide a descriptive foundation and then conducted discrete-time event history analyses using binary logistic regression to create parametric life tables, analyze the effects of dual-language instruction and other factors, and estimate transition times between proficiency categories and overall. The cross-sectional component employed ordered logistic regression to analyze selected effects on classification into …

When Play Fades And Screens Rise: Teachers' And Parents' Lived Experiences Of The Push-Down Of Academics In Kindergarten, Rachel L. Hunter

Doctor of Education

In the span of a single generation federal mandates have transformed kindergarten from a place of play into an academic pressure zone. This study is grounded in early childhood education, child development, and educational policy, with a focus on heightened academic expectations in kindergarten alongside the rising influence of digital technology in young children’s lives. It addresses two questions: (1) How has the reduction or elimination of play in kindergarten impacted children’s peer-to-peer engagement? and (2) What role, if any, does digital technology play in compounding this shift? This phenomenological study employs qualitative, transformative action-research methods to examine the lived …

Developing A Socioculturally-Informed Esl Curriculum For First-Grade Students In Public Schools, Russul R. Abtan

Doctor of Education

Most English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in US elementary schools do not accommodate developmental, linguistic, and cultural needs of young learners, which leads to insufficient language uptake and future academic-related issues. This study examines how an English as a Second Language (ESL) language arts curriculum for first grade can be developed within the framework of the sociocultural theory and developmentally appropriate practices. Research indicates a difference between existing ESL curricula the linguistic, cognitive and emotional needs of young learners. This project integrates key components of Krashen’s Input Hypothesis and Cummins’ BICS/CALP model by drawing on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory …

Examining The Association Between Educational Spending In Well-Resourced School Districts And The Academic Performance Of Hispanic Students In Low Socioeconomic Communities, Alicia Cieszykowski

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

EXAMINING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL SPENDING IN WELL-RESOURCED SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF HISPANIC STUDENTS IN LOW SOCIOECONOMIC COMMUNITIES

Alicia Cieszykowski

Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations

Northern Illinois University, 2026

Benjamin Creed, Director

This study examined the relationship between school district expenditure patterns and academic performance for Hispanic students in adequately funded Illinois school districts. Using a quantitative correlational design, the study explored whether overall spending levels and the allocation of financial resources were associated with Hispanic student achievement and Hispanic–White academic disparities in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. The sample included Illinois Tier …

Implementing Restorative Practices For Girls In Elementary School Classrooms: A Participatory Action Research Approach, Mellissa Douglas

Dissertations of Practice

This participatory action research study examined how varying approaches to implementing restorative practices, together with teacher collaboration and influence, support resilience, enhance communication, establish healthy boundaries, encourage accountability, and build confidence among elementary school girls ages 8–10. Two third-grade teachers, three fourth-grade teachers, and three fifth-grade teachers in a midwestern elementary school implemented restorative practices through proactive circles or conferences over the course of forty school days. The eight teacher participants recorded the implementation of restorative practices in an action research journal, field notes, and photographs, and they collaborated to discuss strengths, areas in need of support, and next steps. …

Chickadees In The Environment: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Evelyn Ames

OER Materials

This field trip lesson engages students in investigating how environmental conditions influence that traits of living organisms through the study of the black-capped Chickadee at the MSUM Regional Science Center. Students observe chickadees and their habitats, collect evidence about physical and behavioral traits, and construct scientific arguments connecting those traits to environmental factors such as Minnesota’s cold winters and seasonal food availability. Through authentic field-based experiences, students develop observation, critical thinking, and argumentation skills while exploring the natural phenomenon of how organisms survive and adapt to their environments.