Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Overcoming The Literacy Gap In K-5 Students From A District Perspective: A Qualitative Study, Sarah G. Boles

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how district leaders respond to literacy gaps among kindergarten through fifth-grade students in a small, rural school district in Northwestern North Carolina. While previous research has focused specifically on classroom practices, less is known about the role of district leadership in shaping system-level approaches to literacy improvement. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 participants, which included nine elementary lead classroom teachers and nine elementary school leaders (five principals, two assistant principals, and two instructional coaches). The culminating focus group included six teachers, three principals, …

Competitive Dance And The Adolescent’S Body: Considering Pedagogical Approaches To Teaching Competitive Dancers, Catri E. G. Barba

Dance (MFA) Theses

Diving into the past and researching for the future, this thesis explores the development and perpetuation of hyper-sexualized adolescent bodies through the competitive dance scene. Drawing on dance theorists, educational theorists, and embodied research (i.e., the author’s body archive), this thesis explores how the competition gaze is performed for and by a capitalist patriarchy. Specifically, this thesis critically reflects on the author’s career as a young competitive dancer in the greater Los Angeles, California, area during the 1990s and 2000s, as well as a competition dance instructor and K-12 educator for two decades, and how those personal experiences have shaped …

Development And Validation Of A Music Teacher Candidate Assessment, Phillip Hash

Faculty Publications - Music

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Music Teacher Candidate Assessment (MTCA), a rubric-based tool for evaluating student teachers in music classrooms. Factor analyses of scores issued by university supervisors (USs), cooperating teachers (CTs), and student teachers (STs) supported construct validity, explained 53.5% of the variance, and revealed two subscales: Pedagogy (I) and Professionalism (II). Concurrent validity resulted from a strong correlation (r_s = .83) between evaluators’ rubric averages and holistic ratings of performance. Inter-factor correlation (r = .65) confirmed discriminant validity. All groups exceeded the α ≥ .80 threshold for acceptable internal …

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 …

Teacher Education For Religious Diversity In British Columbia: Policy Recommendations For Sikh And Chinese Mahayana Buddhist Inclusion, Ashton Kemper

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Competencies, Knowledge, And Skills Of Effective School Nutrition Program Directors, Kymberle Gordon Phd, Jane Peterson Phd Rdn

Institute of Child Nutrition, Applied Research Division

Abstract
School nutrition program directors play a vital leadership role in ensuring school meal programs operate efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. Competencies, knowledge, and skills (CKS) frameworks support these professionals by defining performance expectations, guiding professional development, and strengthening leadership capacity. The most recent CKS resource for school nutrition program directors was published in 2010, and substantial changes in regulatory requirements, operational complexity, workforce conditions, and leadership expectations have created a need for revision.

This study aimed to identify and validate the competencies, knowledge, and skills required for effective school nutrition program directors in …

Voice And Student Engagement With Writing: Integrating Perspective, Personality, And Style, Sara S. Martin

English Dissertations

The rise of generative AI has many teachers worried about the future of writing classes and students’ desire to learn. However, instructors can motivate students to write by valuing what AI can never replace: their voices. Previous definitions of voice took the concept for granted and left it either vague or reductive, unhelpful for structured lessons. I propose a new, more teachable definition of voice as perspective, personality, and style. Perspective takes priority because it belongs solely to the individual and the unrepeatable moment of composition. Personality infuses passages with emotion, forming a bond between author and reader. Style, the …

Ai Literacy Frameworks In Secondary Cte: Supporting The Next Generation Of The Workforce, Reagan Kaylee Montross

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this literature review is to understand how generative AI (GenAI) is impacting the future employment of high school students at the forefront of the most significant technological, cultural, and educational shift of this generation. It examines five AI literacy frameworks relating to secondary education. These frameworks each emphasize the importance of educating students in AI literacy and provide educators with a structure for integrating AI skills. Among the frameworks reviewed, those published by the United States Department of Labor and the OECD place greater emphasis on applied practices, while the AI4K12 and KAT frameworks emphasize how AI …

Accountability In The Musical Classroom, Austin Chambers

Music

Once the teacher explains the topic and works with the class, the students must be able to review, either individually or in groups, and make necessary changes to be able to correct themselves. When the topic or lesson is portrayed and explained to the class, the students must be able to observe any different changes they may need to make to what they have observed in themselves. Once they are able to reflect on themselves with little or no teacher support, students can move on to additional topics or the next section of the lesson they are discussing. This can …

Infusing Authenticity Into A Service-Learning Program: Examining Long-Term Impacts On Professional Development, Mohan Yang, Jonathan Harbor, Belle Li, Jacqueline Nikiema

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Purpose

The employability of postgraduate students remains a critical concern in higher education, as postgraduate programs, particularly at the doctoral level, traditionally focus on disciplinary and research competencies. This leads to a lack of adequate preparation for employment, especially for non-academic roles. This study examines the long-term impacts of an authentic service-learning program on trainees' professional lives, with a particular emphasis on academia. This addresses the need for insight into the long-term impacts of initiatives that enhance postgraduate programs with opportunities for students to acquire transferable competencies prior to entering employment.

Design/methodology/approach

We adopted a narrative inquiry approach to investigate …

Improving Retention Rates Of Teachers Through Analysis Of Second-Career Educators, Colton Perry Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention rates have been an issue in education for decades. New teachers continue to leave the field at an alarming rate, despite research and attempts to improve their retention. This study focuses on the population of second-career educators and their reasons for remaining in the field at a higher rate than traditional teachers (those who enter the field directly out of college). The researcher’s focus is to determine which experiences and skills gained by second—career teachers in their previous careers result in them experiencing lower rates of attrition once entering education. A qualitative study will be conducted using semi-structured …

The Relationship Of Federal Title V Funding To Retention And Graduation Rates Of Hispanic-Serving Institutions In The Southeastern United States, Julio Cesar Llanos Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The number of Latino/a or Hispanic students, also known as Latinx students, are expected to grow demographically in various regions of the United States over the next several years. To ensure Latinx students are progressing toward graduation in their respective cohorts, it may be beneficial to anticipate and prepare for the increase in this student demographic. This study focused on institutions in the Southeastern region of the United States. This study compared the relationship of federal Title V funding and retention rates and graduation rates of students; it also compared degrees awarded to Hispanic students and enrollment of Hispanic students …

Becoming An Effective Literacy Educator: A Qualitative Study In Elementary Education, Lillian Petry

2026 Honors Symposium

Background: This thesis explores the personal journey of one childhood education teacher candidate becoming an effective teacher through both childhood experiences and formal preparation through an elementary teacher preparation program within a R1 University in the Southeastern United States. Arkansas continues to face literacy challenges making it significant to understand how future teachers can be better prepared to face the diverse needs of students in the classroom. Purpose: This research was based on the question: How do pre-service teachers’ childhood reading experiences, combined with their literacy instruction during teacher preparation, contribute to their development as effective literacy educators? Existing research …

Industry To Classroom: The Role Of Academic Program Consultants In Building Self-Efficacy Among Occupation-Based Career And Technical Education Teachers, Erica L. Settelen

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Occupation-based career and technical education (CTE) teachers bring industry expertise to secondary classrooms but often begin teaching without traditional pedagogical preparation or familiarity with public school systems. In Kentucky’s New Teacher Institute (NTI), academic program consultants (APCs) provide program-area support to strengthen induction. Using the framework of self-efficacy and guided by Ivankova’s mixed methods action research (MMAR) framework, this study examined how occupation-based CTE teachers perceived APC engagement during induction and how APC-created asynchronous supports were experienced.

In the Reconnaissance Phase, a sequential Quantitative → Qualitative design included an initial survey followed by interviews. Survey results indicated midrange familiarity with …

Enhancing International School Implementation Capacity: Supporting Contextualized Learning At An International Baccalaureate School In China, Christopher J. Hayden Iv

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

International schools allocate substantial resources to implement progressive curricular innovations; however, the advantages offered by these developments are contingent on their effective execution within classroom settings. This mixed methods action research (MMAR) study examined the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Global Context (GC) Strategy in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) at an international school in China and asked how the school might strengthen its capacity to enact this and similar innovations. Following a sequential MMAR design, a reconnaissance phase combined a whole-staff survey (n=87) with qualitative interviews to diagnose the individual, organizational, and contextual factors shaping implementation. Analyses identified …

Annual Report Of Undergraduate Research Fellows From August 2025 To May 2026, Office Of Research And Sponsored Programs. Morehead State University.

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Reports and Publications

Annual Report of Undergraduate Research Fellows from August 2025 to May 2026.

Epilepsy, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with epilepsy.

Cystic Fibrosis, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with cystic fibrosis.

Early Childhood Special Education (Ecse), Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Parent guide about the Texas Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program.

End Stage Renal Disease, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with end stage renal disease.

Early Childhood Special Education (Ecse) (Spanish), Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Parent guide about the Texas Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program. Translated into Spanish.

Anorexia-Bulimia, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with anorexia and bulimia.

Arfid, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder or ARFID.

Brain Tumors, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with brain tumors.

Congenital Heart Defects, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with congenital heart defects.

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (Adem), Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis or ADEM.

Sickle Cell Disease, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with sickle cell disease.

Osteosarcoma, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with osteosarcoma.

Multiple Sclerosis, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Educator guide about how to support students with multiple sclerosis.

(In)Visible Diverse Gender And Sexual Identities Of Pre-Service Teachers: Disclosure, Emotional Labour And Safety Work Within Initial Teacher Education(In)Visible Diverse Gender And Sexual Identities Of Pre-Service Teachers: Disclosure, Emotional Labour And Safety Work Within Initial Teacher Education, Saul A. Karnovsky, Matthew J. Phillips, Breeanna Melville

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Australia is currently facing a significant teacher attrition crisis, with early career educators increasingly leaving the profession due to burnout, demoralisation, and adverse working conditions. This issue is exacerbated for teachers of diverse genders and sexualities (DGS), who encounter heightened levels of discrimination, exclusion, and mental health challenges within educational institutions. Despite broader societal progress, Australian schools and universities remain sites of persistent queerphobia, contributing to unsafe and unsupportive environments for DGS individuals. This article focuses on pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled in initial teacher education (ITE) programs. The study addresses an important gap in the literature by exploring how emotional …