Secondary Education Commons^™

Understanding Teacher Leadership: Development And Testing Of The Survey Of Teacher Leadership, Peter D. Wiens, Vanessa Vongkulluksn, Jori Beck, Brenda Pearson

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Teacher leadership (TL) has been identified as key component of effective schools. While research has grown in this area, there is a dearth of empirically and theoretically supported measures for understanding TL. This study examines the validity and reliability of the Survey of Teacher Leadership (STL). The STL builds on previous theory and research in TL by creating an assessment of teacher TL practices and their associated self-efficacy in these practices. In addition to more established domains of TL, the STL also examines teachers’ leadership practices and self-efficacy in diversity and equity. The STL was sent to all non-charter public …

Block Schedules In Virginia Schools: Purposes, Outcomes, And Policy Considerations, David Naff, Meleah Ellison, Jamelle Simmons, Xun Liu, Martin Darby, Crystal R. Bell, Shelby Garofalo, Obed Boateng, Wendy Rodgers, Audrina Farrar, Karli Johansen, Mysia Perry, Maggie Szydlowski, Fatemah A. Khawaji, Katherine Urban

MERC Publications

When schools and divisions choose a daily schedule structure to follow, it is important to consider its purpose and potential impacts on students, educators, and families. The purpose of this MERC research and policy brief is to inform the work of school division leaders and school board members making decisions about whether to adopt or continue the use of block scheduling in middle and high schools. It explores the following questions:

1. What are block schedules and where are they used?

2. How are school schedules related to student outcomes and educator quality?

3. What policies at the federal, state, …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between School Counselor Access And Latine Students’ College-Going Behaviors, Kristen Tuxbury

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between school counselor access and Latine students’ college-going behaviors using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). The study was guided by critical race theory and Yosso’s community cultural wealth model (2005). Binary logistic regression models, Chi-square tests of independence, and descriptive statistics were used to explore the associations between school counselor access, Latine student college-going behaviors, and caregiver expectations. The findings show stronger associations between caregiver expectations and Latine student college-going behaviors than school counselor access. Additionally, findings provide evidence that experiences of oppression are likely barriers to Bachelor’s degree programs …

A Mixed Methods Study: High School Teachers’ Perspectives On Incorporating Mindful Artmaking In Their Classroom As A Mental Health Resource, Sherry A. Bosarge

Theses and Dissertations

Mental health concerns and the need for mental health resources for high school students continue to rise in Virginia. Some of the reported benefits to the current mental health services and resources offered in Virginia schools are increased academic outcomes, attendance, and positive behaviors. The reported barriers to current mental health services and resources are lack of participation, lack of training, time constraints, funding, and resources. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined high school teachers’ perspectives on the benefits and barriers to incorporating mindful artmaking in their classrooms as a mental health resource at a local high school. This …

Mental Health Supports In The Public Schools, Elizabeth Walters

Masters Theses

Increasingly, young students experience mental health challenges, some as early as first grade. With mental health challenges reaching students at younger ages, teachers and school staff need to be ready to assist their students in need. Roughly a third of young people experience mental health challenges, and 70-80% are unable to receive mental health services. As a large portion struggle in school with mental health concerns, teachers and school staff are likely to be the first to see any potential signs of struggle. When teachers notice signs of a student struggling with mental health, the staff often do not know …

“History Is Within And Around Us:” High School Students Actively Engage The Past In New York City, Alina Lewis

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Background/Context: Research on history education in the United States context has focused narrowly on history as a cognitive practice. This body of research assumes that it is difficult for students to “think like historians” (Wineburg, 1999) and is largely focused on advancing a discrete set of historical thinking skills through curricular interventions. Largely ignored in this discourse are the ways in which students engage with the past in out-of-school contexts.

Purpose/Objective: This study examines students’ engagements with history in out-of-school contexts. It is my hope that better understanding and describing how students experience history outside of school spaces will suggest …

Author-Centered Approaches In Ela Instruction: A Multiple Case Study Of Secondary English Teachers, Jennifer M. Lockhart Mchugh

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Literary authors are often neglected in secondary ELA (English Language Arts) literary instruction. Teachers are unsure how to teach about the author and how much time to spend on establishing the context for the text when the goal is to “cover” a variety of literary texts as part of a planned curriculum during the school year. Acknowledging the role of authors’ intentions as well as their experiences and aesthetic decisions in the production of literature may provide new entry points into literary texts for students. This multiple-case study of secondary English teachers and their high school students in a “bounded …

Impact Of An Online Teaching Faculty Development Course On Student Social Engagement, Preston P. Bennett

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ample evidence supports the impact of greater student social engagement on student success outcomes, particularly for first time in college freshmen students (Avison et al., 2007; Tinto, 1997; Wilcox et al., 2005). Keeping students engaged socially online can be challenging for some faculty due to reliance on strategies that worked previously within face-to-face environments (McQuiggan, 2012). At the University of North Florida, a Teaching Online (TOL) certification course provides instructors with evidence-based online pedagogy aimed at bolstering social engagement.

This dissertation investigated whether and how faculty implementation of TOL design principles impacted freshmen students’ social engagement with both peers and …

Rural Adolescent Girls' Experiences With Female Antiheroes: A Phenomenological Study Of Literature Discussions And Mentorship, Candice Kennedy Byers

All ETDs from UAB

This phenomenological research study focused on the experiences of rural adolescent girls reading female led multicultural young adult literature with the guidance of a female mentor teacher. Using two multicultural young adult novels one with a strong female protagonist and one with a female antihero protagonist, this five-week study sought to explore the lived experiences of 14 adolescent girls in the rural Southeast. The theoretical frameworks of Radical Feminism (Lawford-Smith, 2022; hooks, 2015; Kreps 1972; Rhodes, 2005), Critical Race Theory (Crenshaw, 1988; Ladson-Billings. 2003; Delgado, 1989; Harris 1993), and Multicultural Young Adult Literature (Nieto, 2002; Fox & Short, 2003; Boyd …

Learning And Belonging In A Museum-School Environmental Stewardship Partnership, Joanna K. Garner, Mel Kuhn, Andrea M. Rocchio, Grace Friedenreich

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

Students in urban, low-income communities can lack access to environmental science outreach in natural settings. As a result, they may face barriers to applying course content to real-world contexts and developing an agentic, hopeful stance towards environmental stewardship. In this paper, we describe a partnership between a maritime museum and park, an urban school district, and ecology experts. The project aimed to increase students’ knowledge of aquatic ecosystems, develop awareness of stewardship-related actions and career pathways, and support a sense of belonging to the museum. Activities included classroom visits by experts, field trips to plant classroom-grown grasses in the museum’s …

Computer Science For Middle School (Cs4ms), Melani Loney, Lisa Steffian, Tancy J. Vandecar-Burdin

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

This session will discuss the project Computer Science for Middle School and the associated findings. This Virginia Department of Education funded project provides computer science Professional Development opportunities for in-service teachers, located in Southeastern Virginia, who instruct students in middle school grades 6- 8. Participating teachers learn to integrate computer science standards into core and elective content through online, asynchronous microcredentials and in-person Summer Workshops. The presentation will include project findings and next steps including teacher efficacy for implementing the computer science standards before and after completing the microcredentials and their students’ attitudes about computer science.

Growing Through The Questions: Studying Sticking Points To Strengthen Commitments To Socially Just English Language Arts Teaching, Kaitlyn P. Blake

Theses and Dissertations

This teacher-research study explores sticking points that emerge in my high school English language arts (ELA) classroom as a way of aligning my practice with my socially just ELA teaching framework, especially in my early career years. Using qualitative methods to focus on my classroom interactions with students, two specific sticking points emerged as significant to my learning. Although I initially interpreted these sticking points as being between the students and me, my analysis revealed that the sticking points were actually a result of my socially just framework being challenged by my own enactment of it. Learning to reframe these …

The Impact Of International Baccalaureate (Ib) Courses: Experience And Outcome Differences For Full Ib Diploma Earners Vs. Non-Diploma Earners In An Urban School In The Us, Christopher Jennens, Nilufer Guler

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This study examines differences in educational experiences and outcomes for high school(HS) students who participated in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program and earned full diplomas compared to those who participated in the IB Diploma Program but did not earn the diploma. ACT scores, after-high school placement, and HS graduation rates of 256 participants were collected. 122 participants completed an online survey, and 12 participated in interviews. The results revealed that the educational outcomes and experiences for diploma and non-diploma earners were vastly similar. Diploma earners had significantly higher ACT scores, but their college entrance and other academic outcomes were …

Changes In Mentor Teacher Participation In Postgraduate Secondary Initial Teacher Education: Climatic Conditions Preceding Workforce Reform., Alison L. Hilton, Chad Morrison, Felicity I. Mclure, Kathryn G. Dehle, Sandi Fielder

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional Experience placements provide invaluable opportunities for pre-service teachers to connect their expanding knowledge to teaching practice. When done well, these experiences are underpinned by purposeful and continuous guidance from experienced mentor teachers. Significantly, the participation and engagement of Australian mentor teachers in this process is voluntary in nature, meaning the system relies on teachers ‘opting-in’ to mentoring. This research examines mentor teacher participation within Secondary-level initial teacher education courses and highlights issues relating to overall mentor teacher (and host school) engagement. Analysis of placement data over a five-year period to 2021 illustrates a significant change in participation with a …

2025 Merc Annual Report, David B. Naff, Jesse Senechal, Paula L. Ogston-Nobile

MERC Publications

This is the annual report of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) at Virginia Commonwealth University for the 2024-2025 academic year. It includes vignettes depicting MERC activities in the past year that align with each of its five principles: research, relevance, rigor, multiple perspectives, and impact. It concludes with a discussion of MERC's commitment moving forward.

Virginia Literacy Act Expansion: Implications For Middle Schools, Candace Bechtold, Joan A. Rhodes, Valerie J. Robnolt, David B. Naff, Kendall Hunt, Jan Collins

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy review focuses on expansion of the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) to include support for middle school students across the Commonwealth. It explores three questions:

1. What were trends in middle school literacy prior to the VLA expansion?
2. What state policies exist for middle school literacy achievement?
3. What does research say about literacy intervention at the middle school level?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for middle school literacy policy and practice.

Supporting Students In Transition To And From High School, David Naff, Jamelle Simmons, Meleah Ellison, Shelby Garofalo, Laura Thoene, Kim Dupre, Sooyeon Moon, Karli Johanson, Paul Harris, Martin Darby, William L. Parker, Tracy Booker, Janel Miley, Mysia Perry, Xun Liu, Maggie Szydlowski, Ahmed Abbas

MERC Publications

This report is part of a two-part series focused on supporting students in transition across PK-12 education. Specifically, it explores transitions into and out of high school school. The report includes a synthesis of recent peer-reviewed literature, analysis of publicly available data (with a specific focus on Virginia and the metropolitan Richmond region), and summary of relevant federal, state, and school division-level policies. It answers the following questions:

1. What are key considerations for supporting students in transition to and from high school in the MERC region?

2. How do federal, state, and division policies guide support for student transitions …

Ai In Education: Teaching, Learning, And Thinking With Machines, Mary Strawderman, Jesse Senechal, Eric Ekholm, Jason Vest, Moe Greene, Dawn Johnson, Daniel Case, Oscar Keyes, Yaoying Xu, Robert Godwin-Jones, Kait Donahue, Kim Elmore, Haley Hendershot, Amy Corning, Paulina Guerrero, Samaher Aljudaibi, Justin Thurston

AI in Education: Teaching, Learning, and Thinking with Machines

This collection from the Humanities Research Center (HRC) Digital Technology in Education (DTE) working group arose from questions around how rapidly emerging generative AI tools are reshaping teaching and learning in K-12 and higher education. The contributions, loosely organized around ethics, policy, and practice, adopt a humanities lens to probe how generative AI and other emerging digital technologies impact human values, experiences, and social structures, surfacing their philosophical, ethical, cultural, and societal implications for schooling. From the perspectives of practitioners and interdisciplinary scholars, the pieces showcase various dimensions of AI's creative potential in education, while also questioning its limitations and …

Alternative Grading Approaches In Health Professions Education: A Scoping Review Protocol, Elena Wong Espiritu, Aine O'Connor, Sara Blass, Kathryn Lewis, Angela Shelton Clauson

Funded Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map the existing literature on alternative grading approaches in health professions education and how these approaches are implemented.

Introduction: Although traditional alphanumerical tiered grading methods are widely used in health professions education, this approach is typically insufficient in providing descriptive feedback, allowing formative assessment, and promoting deeper learning and clinical application. Alternative grading approaches, including competency based assessment, pass-fail grading, ungrading, specifications grading, and others, are increasingly being implemented, but there is a gap in understanding which approaches are being used in which health professions programs and how the approaches are …

From Rural Roads To College Credits: Understanding Dual Enrollment In New Hampshire's Rural High Schools, Sarah Chase

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Dual enrollment programs vary significantly across states, schools, and districts, leading to inconsistent college readiness outcomes. While previous research primarily examines differences at the state level, little is known about how these programs operate within rural high schools in the same region. This study examines dual enrollment in four rural high schools in New Hampshire using a multiple-case study approach and thematic analysis. Data was collected through interviews with administrators, faculty, counselors, and alumni, along with reviews of public documents. Six key themes emerged: (1) Barriers to Dual Enrollment, (2) Conflicting Perspectives of Key Players, (3) Benefits of Dual Enrollment, …