Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Leading Through A Trauma-Informed Lens, Taylor Van Clay

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper examined research on what is necessary for leaders to lead and create a school culture that supports students through a trauma-informed lens. This research looked for findings from multiple quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies which examined the importance of effective leadership, the necessity of professional development for educators, and the implementation of trauma-informed practices that will lead to student success. The research revealed specific factors that lead to beneficial leadership outcomes along with interconnectedness of purposeful and ongoing professional development and implementation of trauma-informed practice due to the fact that response to student behaviors is not intuitive. …

Underserved And Underrecognized: Elevating Teaching Strategies, Special Education Eligibility, And Educational Outcomes For Grade 2-6 Girls On The Autism Spectrum, Jessica T. Ford

Doctorate in Education

This study involved a qualitative exploratory case study research design and employed in-depth online interviews as the primary data collection method. Participants were former or current special education teachers in Minnesota who had worked with Grade 2-6 girls on the autism spectrum and were sourced from professional networks, educational associations, online platforms, chain sampling, and snowball sampling. This study sought to elucidate the reasons behind the underidentification of girls eligible for autism spectrum special education services, streamline their qualification process, reveal practical educational strategies for academic, emotional, and social support, and furnish accessible resources and training alternatives for classroom teachers …

All It Takes Is One Person: First-Generation Hmong Women's Educational Experiences, Theresa Thao-Yang

Doctorate in Education

In this dissertation, I examined the educational and life experiences of 13 first-generation Hmong women and how their lived experiences impacted their earlier education experiences as well as their post-secondary educational choices and their children’s educational pathways. Drawing from a qualitative, narrative analysis approach to explore which educational practices support young immigrant women, this study highlights the determination and resilience in first-generation Hmong women’s lives by revealing the oppression and invisibility they faced. Through utilizing a life history approach with 13 Hmong women, this dissertation focused on three first-generation Hmong women’s complete life histories to examine the role schooling, family, …

Coequal Responsibility For Feedback And Trust In Teacher Professional Development, Stefanie Whitney

Doctorate in Education

Instructional feedback offers a critical contribution to teacher professional development aimed at improving student learning outcomes. The most influential feedback comes from principals who have developed strong collegial relationships with teachers through observation-based understanding of their instructional practices, intentional interpersonal connection, and collaboration on shared goals. In essence, collegial relationships between principals and teachers nurture the development of trust, an essential element in the process of giving and receiving feedback. Unfortunately, instructional feedback has historically been delivered through teacher evaluations, which attempt to serve two contradictory purposes: To evaluate for retention and to nurture professional development. These dual purposes have …

Teacher Retention In High-Poverty, Urban Schools, Jill Love

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

Teaching has always been about the success of the students. Students who have effective, qualified teachers show the most success. Throughout the years, schools in urban areas have struggled to keep quality teachers within their buildings. Due to teacher turnover in the neediest schools, the students are greatly affected. The students in high-poverty urban schools are some of the lowest performing students across the country. When you pair low performance with significant teacher turnover, the outcome is grim. Research shows that districts and schools need to do more than just recruit qualified teachers, they must also retain them for …

Exploring Teacher-Parent Communication: A Qualitative Analysis Of Secondary Early Career Educators' Experiences, Kama J. Konda-Varilek

Doctorate in Education

Teacher-parent communication (TPC) is considered a professional responsibility for all teachers, yet it is most often associated with teachers of elementary-aged students; comparatively less is known about how secondary teachers communicate with parents or how they learn to do so. The qualitative study conducted in May 2020 used semi-structured interviews to examine how South Dakota secondary early career educators (ECEs) learned to communicate with parents and their experiences with TPC. The research questions focused on the definition of effective TPC, experiences from teacher preparation programs (TPPs) with TPC, experiences from in-service years and TPC, recommendations for preparing secondary ECEs for …

Practice-Based Coaching And Early Childhood Professional Standards In A Diverse Field, Julie Betthauser

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

The field of early childhood education has long relied on professional development strategies to support teachers with varying degrees of education who enter the field from a variety of disciplines. Research indicated educators needed intensive and individualized professional development efforts that were integrated into daily practice (Rodgers, Kennedy, VanUitert, & Myers, 2019). Practice-based coaching has been used as a professional development strategy in early childhood classrooms to develop educators’ knowledge and skills in best practices for young children. Thirty-two empirical studies conducted since 2011 on the process, effectiveness, and assessment of practice-based coaching were reviewed to identify coaching components, …

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Development In Preschool, Gena Jadwin

Graduate Teacher Education

The development of children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning is of significant importance in education, specifically in early childhood education. Early childhood administrators, educators, and support staff have noticed an increase in the amount of students displaying underdeveloped or lacking social-skills within preschool classrooms. This paper will analyze and summarize research to explain the relationship between social-emotional skills and temperament, classroom environment, and educational outcomes in preschool aged students. It was found through research that a lack of social-emotional understanding and skills was impactful to a child’s future emotional responses and academic achievement. In order for leaders to best prepare teachers …

Student Connectedness And Academic Achievement: A Quantitative Study Of Career And Technical Education Students, Kern Mcginley

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The focus of this correlational study in an Alaskan career and technical (CTE) school environment was to explore the research question that guided this study: In a large urban school district of Alaska, with a diverse student population, what is the relationship between the CTE student connectedness level and academic achievement levels? Participants included 132 high school students, Grades 10 through 12. Additional research questions were developed to examine the strength of the relationship between student connectedness and academic achievement by gender and ethnicity. Data were collected using an online survey with a combination of demographic questions and Goodenow’s (1993b) …

Correlation Between Instructional School Culture And Student Achievement In An Urban District, Wayman Graham

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The Teachers Talent Toolbox needed a tool that could compile usable information on any given learning institution through data collection and analysis and provide usable qualitative and quantitative data that could be used to identify the causes of low achievement and provide necessary interventions within the school to improve student outcomes. To answer this need, the Instructional Culture Index/Insight Survey was developed by the New Teacher Project in 2016 and has been widely used and implemented in many schools and districts. This survey instrument was validated and deemed reliable by the RAND Corporation also in 2016. The purpose of this …

Teaching Middle School Children Affected By Homelessness: An Interpretive Phenomenological Investigation Of Teachers’ Lived Experiences, Timothy B. Smart

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The human experience occupies the central role in phenomenological research. In this interpretive phenomenological study, the researcher recruited and interviewed secondary school teachers from three public urban schools in the Pacific Northwest in order to have them describe their lived experiences that relate to instructing students affected by homelessness. The researcher used two semi-structured, conversational interviews with six participants who reflected on how their classroom experiences influenced their teaching, engagement strategies, emotional states, and student relationships. The conceptual framework for this study included: Homelessness in America, public school setting, impact of homelessness, and teacher perspective. In this study, the researcher …

What Do The Voices Of Incarcerated Females Tell Educational Leaders About The Need For Mental Health Resources In Pk-12 Programs?, Phyllis E. Burger

Doctorate in Education

Statistical reports confirm that the female incarcerated population is not only increasing, but the frequency of mental disorders among this vulnerable population is accelerating. Women’s pathways to crime show that gender matters significantly in shaping criminality. The frequency of mental disorders among incarcerated females is much higher than that in the general female population; it is higher than that of incarcerated men. There is abundant literature about women in prison, however, little about the characteristics of females in county jails. The goals of this study were to understand both the demographics and characteristics of females in jail and responsive programming …

Staying Connected: Measuring The Impact Of Technology Integration On Student Engagement And Achievement At The Middle Level, Jaclyn M. Swayne

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Knowing how technologies impact student engagement and achievement is vital. The present study validated and added to the existing knowledge in determining to what extent specific levels of technology integration impact student engagement. It also addressed how specific levels of technology integration impact student achievement in middle level English Language/Arts and mathematics classrooms using 1:1 tablet technology. The descriptive study with statistical analysis provided quantitative evidence to educational leaders on the extent to which increasing levels of technology integration can increase student engagement. This evidence was generated using classroom observation data and Fisher’s exact cross-tabulation analysis. The study also provided …

Dialogic Interactions That Support Learning And Motivation: A Phenomenological Study Of High School Teachers’ Experiences During Reflective Dialogue, Sandra Metzger

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

When teachers skillfully interact in reflective dialogue, they experience professional learning and motivation. However, teachers’ interactional skills are often not data-informed. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to provide descriptive data on (a) how high school teachers experience the dialogic interaction within reflective dialogue, (b) what evidence of learning is present in the interaction, and (c) how self-directed motivation is supported in the interaction. The conceptual framework for this study consists of learning theories from Dewey and Mezirow and the Self-Determination theory of motivation from Deci and Ryan. Three sessions were conducted with two teams of two teachers …