Unlocking Reading Success: Addressing The Literacy Crisis In The United States, Jennifer Kaczrowski-Taylor

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This white paper addresses the literacy crisis in the United States. Currently, in the educational system, millions of children lack access to research-based reading instruction and, as a result, struggle to become proficient readers. Despite decades of academic and reform efforts, national reading achievement has been declining. This literacy crisis can be traced back to outdated or inconsistent instructional practices, socioeconomic background, lack of research-based instructional curricula, as well as inconsistent and ineffective implementation of these approaches. Based on recent research and national data, this white paper advocates for aligning teacher education and professional development with the Science of Reading. …

A Phenomenological Study Of Factors That Impact Math Achievement In A Rural Midwestern Elementary School, Calina K. Krogen

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

Educational leaders are under pressure to improve student performance in the content area of math after the greatest decline since the National Assessment of Academic Performance began in 1969 (The Nation's Report Card, 2022). Educational leaders are aware of the increasing gap in student performance in mathematics. While teachers recognize the importance of developing math instruction based on student centered needs and differentiated instruction.

The purpose of this research was to conduct a phenomenological study based on the lived experience of rural elementary math teacher’s confidence in instructional practices and the factors that impact their efforts to …

A Qualitative Look At Relationships From A Teacher’S Perspective, Shayna Vastila

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study examines the role of teacher-student relationships grounded in the Social Learning Theory, Social Support Theory, as well as the Attachment Theory. The research explored how teachers perceive, establish, and maintain supportive relationships with their students, and how these relationships contribute to student engagement and academic motivation. Fifteen first-grade teachers from elementary schools participated in semi-structured interviews, sharing personal insights and practices around relationship building. Using key factors that foster positive relationships, including empathy, active listening, individualized support, and culturally responsive communication. Findings also highlight systemic barriers such as large class sizes, behavioral challenges, and the emotional …

El Deafo Bibliotherapy, David S. Wolff

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was for preservice teachers to practice writing a chain of questions that focused on the social and/or emotional needs of young learners. Bibliotherapy is therapeutic in nature to help individuals understand themselves and the world around them through guided reading experiences (American Library Association, 2025; Delisle & Galbraith, 2002). Further, bibliotherapy allow individuals to identify a personal problem mirrored by a character in a book. As the reader connects with the character, the reader experiences the emotions expressed by the character. Finally, the reader applies the character’s experience to their own personal problem (American Library …

Horrible Harry In Room 2b Bibliotherapy, David S. Wolff

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was for preservice teachers to practice writing a chain of questions that focused on the social and/or emotional needs of young learners. Bibliotherapy is therapeutic in nature to help individuals understand themselves and the world around them through guided reading experiences (American Library Association, 2025; Delisle & Galbraith, 2002). Further, bibliotherapy allow individuals to identify a personal problem mirrored by a character in a book. As the reader connects with the character, the reader experiences the emotions expressed by the character. Finally, the reader applies the character’s experience to their own personal problem (American Library …

Interactive Read Aloud Planning Template For The Story, The Letter From The Book Frog And Toad Are Friends, Lauren Dehmer, David Wolff

OER Materials

This is a read-aloud planning template for the story The Letter from the book Frog and Toad are Friends, which holds five stories. The goal of the assignment is to create an effective read-aloud. Research supports these as they can expose children to new words and language structures (Burkins & Yates, 2021). Cunningham et al. (2023) also explain interactive read-alouds as a way to “immerse students in rich content.” The author was given a list of stories from the anthology, The 20^th Century Children’s Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud, from instructor Dr. David Wolff, who …

Assessing Language Learners In Mathematics: A Single-Subject Ab Quasi-Experimental Study Exploring The Impact Of Dual Language And Monolingual Classrooms On Achievement, Molly M. Scheidt

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Dual language classrooms provide instruction for language learners to use their first language (L1) as well as their second language (L2) to learn academic content. The goal of the study was to impact the decision-making among educational leaders who may be challenged by the dual language classroom due to the logistics and financial demands such a program possesses for school district leaders. A single-subject AB quasi-experimental study explored the impact of one monolingual mathematic classroom and making it into a dual language classroom providing a Spanish interpreter during whole group math instruction time. The model that was delivered replicates what …

The Effects Of High-Leverage Practices On Teaching Candidates Math Self-Efficacy, Christine Quisley

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The start of each school year should be one of excitement and joy for learning. However, year to year, there is one subject that elementary students and their teachers dread: math. This study focused on collecting data from teaching candidates on their math self-efficacy beliefs and the perceived competence in their ability to implement three specific high-leverage practices (HLPs) during student teaching.

This qualitative case study explores the experiences of teaching candidates enrolled in a university teacher preparation program. Within previous method courses, content focused on the planning, instruction, and assessment of high-leverage practices. The overarching question of this study …

How Will Having A W.I.N Room For Our Emotional And Behavioral Disorder Students To Access When They Are Needing A Break Affects The Number Of Room-Clearing Behaviors In A Week?, Samantha Streed

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Having the power to create the behavior program from the ground up, starting a “What I Need” (W.I.N) room at the elementary school where the researcher works. This is a sensory type of room with different tools and strategies that the students can use to calm their bodies or as we say have a safe and calm body. This room will be run by the researcher along with a paraprofessional that will be in the room all day to help support the students. This paraprofessional will also supervise the W.I.N Room if the researcher needs to leave to handle a …

Decodable Readers Versus Leveled Text, Taylor Leitch

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

A student’s ability to read fluently is an extremely vital skill, necessary to allow them to succeed both in an academic setting and in everyday life. To guide those developing readers in increasing their independent reading fluency, abilities educators must have the correct instructional methods and tools that are developmentally appropriate to provide meaningful instruction. This quantitative action research project explores the use of decodable readers versus leveled text for students who are still developing the phonemic skills and recognition needed to read fluently. A decodable reader allows a student to explicitly practice one phonemic skill to mastery before adding …

Manipulating The Distance Of Inter-Letter And Inter-Word Spacing To Improve Reading Accuracy And Speed In The Dyslexic Student, Jon Roemmich

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

Recent research studies have shown that increased inter-letter and inter-word spacing has a positive effect on the reading speed and accuracy of students with dyslexia. A few of these studies also included the use of increased font size. Research that has included using fonts designed for dyslexics in addition to increased font size has not produced favorable results in increasing reading accuracy and speed. In relationship to previous research our results have shown that a .5 inter-letter and inter-word spacing has a marginal positive effect on reading accuracy and speed. The use of .3 and .7 inter-letter and inter …

P-12 Teachers' Perceptions And Knowledge About Students' Mental Health And Their Willingness To Provide Mental Health Supports Within Their Classroom, Tamara Engel

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

P-12 students are experiencing higher rates of mental health needs, which generates a growing concern among teachers, parents, and educational leaders. Students with mental health challenges may struggle socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and academically and become at a risk for lower academic achievement, reduced graduation rates, and increased school suspensions and expulsions. While most of the literature is qualitative and has consistently identified schools as the ideal location to provide targeted mental health supports to students, teachers have reported having insufficient knowledge, skills, and resources to provide these supports to students. This correlational study aimed to move forward the quantitative methodology …

The Effectiveness Of Explicit Literacy Instruction On Kindergarten And First-Grade Student’S Decoding Abilities, Megan Parenteau, Monica Parenteau, Stacy Olson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

There is a growing concern among educators regarding how children best develop early literacy skills. Due to this educational concern, the purpose of this study was to investigate and build a better understanding of how explicit and systematic phonics, phonemic, and phonological awareness instruction impact kindergarten and first-grade student’s ability to decode text. Participants of the study included students currently enrolled in the researcher’s kindergarten and first-grade classrooms within two elementary schools consisting of 54 students. The researchers modeled and taught literacy skills and concepts on a daily basis with all students using explicit and systematic literacy instruction. The research …

The Effectiveness Of Explicit Literacy Instruction On Kindergarten And First-Grade Student’S Decoding Abilities, Monica Parenteau, Megan Parenteau, Stacy Olson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

There is a growing concern among educators regarding how children best develop early literacy skills. Due to this educational concern, the purpose of this study was to investigate and build a better understanding of how explicit and systematic phonics, phonemic, and phonological awareness instruction impact kindergarten and first-grade student’s ability to decode text. Participants of the study included students currently enrolled in the researcher’s kindergarten and first-grade classrooms within two elementary schools consisting of 54 students. The researchers modeled and taught literacy skills and concepts on a daily basis with all students using explicit and systematic literacy instruction. The research …

A Phenomenological Study On Single Parents’ Experiences And Engagement As Their Child Attends Elementary School, Samantha Gort

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The popularity of parental involvement in school systems has risen since the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) came into effect. However, there is a lack of research on how single parents navigate parental involvement and the struggles they face juggling jobs, multiple children, and stress with a lack of support. This research is guided by the following questions: What are the perceptions and beliefs of parental involvement for single parents with their child attending elementary school? How do single parents experience this first year? What support do single parents receive from the school system?

A phenomenological study using a construct …

The Effects Of Orthographic Mapping In Student Spelling Performance, Kelli Simpson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The ability to accurately and automatically spell words shows a deep understanding of phonemes, graphemes, phonological context, morphology, and an understanding of language of origin. One approach to spelling instruction is through the explicit teaching of grapheme-phoneme correspondences. This 2023 study focused on the impact of orthographic mapping on student spelling performance of third grade students. Students completed a spelling pre-assessment. Then, students received orthographic mapping spelling instruction using sound boxes. At the conclusion of the study, students completed a spelling post-assessment. Student data was analyzed to gauge the effectiveness of orthographic mapping as a method of spelling instruction.

How Doctoral Students In A Formal Leadership Program Conceptualize Followership: A Mixed-Methods Study, Katy J. Johnson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods study was to determine how doctoral students in a formal leadership program conceptualize followership. The methods used to conduct this analysis included distributing a Qualtrics (released in August 2022) survey and conducting one-on-one interviews with a sample of degree-seeking doctoral students within a formal leadership program. The researcher collected quantitative and qualitative data addressing students’ followership style, leadership attitudes and beliefs, and perceptions of followership. These data were analyzed concurrently using a triangulation design. A total of 67 students completed the survey, and seven students were interviewed. The findings revealed that the participants employ …

A Comparison Of Two Approaches To Promote Multiplication Fact Fluency In Fifth Grade, Jordyn Berger

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Fifth grade students are expected to be fluent in basic multiplication facts by the start of fifth grade, however many are not (Minnesota Department of Education, 2007). When fifth grade students are not fluent in basic multiplication facts, they struggle to understand and master grade level skills and standards (Allen-Lyall, 2018; Burns et al., 2012; Ok & Bryant, 2016; The Math Learning Center, 2017; Wong & Evans, 2007). This quantitative research study compared two classwide approaches to promote multiplication fact fluency in fifth grade. Throughout the research phase, one fifth grade math class practiced multiplication facts for ten minutes each …

Using Student Goal Setting And Individual Student Conferences To Increase Academic Achievement In Mathematics, Amanda R. Mcnamee

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on an elementary school in the Midwest region of the United States; this community serves as a regional center of education, commerce, and health care. Participants in this study are a classroom of 17 fifth grade students; 35% girls and 65% boys. The school district in this study recently adopted a new mathematics curriculum, Bridges. In using this new mathematics curriculum, the teachers have noticed that many of the fifth-grade students are consistently scoring in the red on the assessments. This research study will investigate whether implementing goal setting and individual student conference sessions will …

Impact Of Brain Breaks On Student Engagement In An Upper Elementary Classroom, Hannah Jaeger, Stephanie Mcwilliams

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Educators are constantly looking for ways to increase student engagement. Due to limited attention spans in students and the academic stress that is placed on them, students often become disengaged and distracted after extended periods of academic related tasks. Brain breaks, or short periods of movement or relaxation to break up academic tasks, can improve student engagement and focus. One specific benefit was improved focus, which has a positive impact on time-on-task behavior (Cline, et al., 2021). This study will concentrate on three different types of brain breaks; physical brain breaks that involve student movement, mindfulness brain breaks that involve …

The Impact Of Trauma-Informed Professional Development On Classroom Climate, Amber Lenz

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

When students experience trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the home, such as substance abuse, mental illness, neglect, or violence, schools become an important place in which support, kindness, and understanding are needed the most. School can, for some students, be a place of physical safety and emotional stability. Oftentimes, the weight of what is going on at home or in the community is being miscategorized and is seen as misbehavior or laziness in a student. If teachers do not learn how to deal with the trauma in a supportive and validating way, students will stay distracted and disengaged …

Strategies For Creating An Inclusive Environment In Early Childhood Education, Jenica Boelter

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The articles reviewed in this literature review examine key strategies needed to create a positive learning environment and successfully include students with disabilities in an inclusive elementary classroom. Key strategies include relationships, collaboration, providing feedback, the use of visuals and nonverbal communication, accommodations, and understanding a students perception of school climate. The literature review concluded that creating this type of collaborative environment with strong relationships ultimately has a positive impact on student success in the classroom. Considering the current trend of inclusion in education, it is important to research and develop strategies that support children with disabilities in the classroom. …

Diversity In Children's Books, Hala Qarini

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

This project aimed to determine whether Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) curriculum represents diversity in the books in a way that reflects the diversity of students in Fargo Public Schools (FPS). I used the green system in LLI curriculum level B-level I, which represents first grade. For this study, I analyzed eighty books total (lesson 21-lesson 100) based on the Fargo Public Schools definition of diversity. This method was a good match for my research question because it included gender/age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic, religion, disability, and culture which Fargo Public School includes in its description.

After reviewing and completing a content …

Parenting Isn't Easy: Parent Newsletters For Social/Emotional Learning In Early Childhood, Lauryn Meyer

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

Most educators know that it is very important to a child’s overall success to be supported socially and emotionally, especially in Early Childhood. We understand that children do not just act out the way they do because they feel like misbehaving. The challenging behavior is usually the cause of some other sort of reaction the child might not know how to explain or verbalize, for example: feeling tired, hungry, or uncomfortable in a certain situation.

In Early Childhood, educators work closely with parents and caregivers in order to continue the same level of learning at home as well. As …

The Study Of Morphological Awareness For English Learners, Jane Beeninga

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

English Learner (EL) students in American schools are becoming increasingly common, but there does not seem to be enough support for these students. This is causing EL students to fall behind in content areas such as reading (Richards-Tutor et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate what barriers are keeping EL students from succeeding in reading. After identifying a need for vocabulary instruction, the researcher will be conducting a morphological awareness intervention to improve EL students’ ability to figure out unknown words. Morphological awareness is the understanding of a word’s smaller units such as prefixes, suffixes, and …

Literature Circles And The Use Of Comprehension Strategies Within A Fifth Grade Classroom, Allison Mrak

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to research the effect of literature circles on the use of comprehension strategies during reading discussions. Example comprehension strategies that students used are based on visualizing, questioning, connections, and summarizing. The participants were 25 fifth graders within a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Three types of data sets were used which consisted of observations, student work, and a final survey. Students formed literature circles using a book of their choice from a given list provided by the researcher. Students had four weeks to read their novel and hold weekly discussions. During the literature circle discussions, …

The Effect Of Direct Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction And Small Group Literacy Interventions On Kindergarten Students’ Reading Growth, Brianna Elizabeth Wierschke

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study focuses on the impact of the implementation of Heggerty Phonemic Awareness and Literacy Footprints guided reading system curriculum in a kindergarten classroom. Adding these interventions are to determine if a focus on phonemic awareness skills is essential for students to learn when beginning to learn how to read. Students were tested at the beginning of the school year for a base score, then tracked at every month, and then a final benchmarking in December. The study took place in a North Dakota elementary school, 23 kindergarten students was monitored for data purposes. The data and results demonstrate a …

Engagement In Music Education In The Upper Elementary Grades, Abigail Jirik

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The research was based on observations from the researcher’s time in the elementary music classroom and addresses the decline of willingness to participate in students in the upper elementary grades. The research addresses the following two research questions; how do family and student attitudes and dynamics towards singing affect student participation in singing in elementary music class? And in what ways could singing be presented and included in instruction to better engage the older elementary learner? The researcher selected fourth and fifth grade students as the participants in the study. Students were given surveys asking questions about participation and attitudes …

The Impact Of Repeated Reading Interventions On Second Grade Readers, Katelyn Schmitz

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

Reading is a lifelong skill that is used in many other subject areas. When students aren’t meeting the academic standards set before them in reading, often times, reading interventions take place. Repeated reading is an intervention that targets improving students’ oral reading fluency. This study took place during a second grade classroom’s reading intervention time. The study included four students from my class that were reading below a second grade reading level. I worked one-on-one with these students to conduct the intervention. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the intervention of repeated reading in …

Implementation Of The Aim Social Skills Curriculum, Jennifer Cook

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The AIM social skills curriculum was designed to introduce the elements of mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and applied behavior analysis (ABA) to children in a fun and accessible way. The elements of the AIM curriculum have been used as the treatment approach for children with social and emotional disabilities. This paper focused on the implementation of the program with students who are determined to have emotional disabilities. Combining the elements of mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy and applied behavior analysis allows for targeting the variables that maintain maladaptive behavior, the way the environment is either increasing or decreasing …