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open access

Urban Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Multicultural Education and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Description: Current literature calls for more culturally responsive pedagogy and multicultural education to connect with what students know, do, and believe outside of school and to utilize this to foster their academic achievement. This study investigated elementary teachers' perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy and multicultural education in an urban school with a predominantly large minoritized student population (African American and Hispanic students). The study focused on four elementary tea… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Davis, Vickie Domonique
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Supporting and Retaining Beginning Teachers during COVID-19

Description: This explanatory sequential mixed methods study was designed to determine, from the perspective of beginning teachers, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affected their intentions to remain in teaching. There were two additional goals in conducting the study: (a) to determine the key practices, supports, or events that played a role in impacting teachers' intentions to remain in teaching during a crisis; and (b) to determine the key practices, supports, or events teachers believe the dis… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Shuffield, Austin
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

What School Leaders Need to Know: The Impact of Teacher Turnover on Student Achievement in Middle School Mathematics

Description: This study looked at the relationship between teacher turnover and student achievement, in addition to the relationship between specific student demographic characteristics and teacher turnover. Within this study, student demographic, staff demographic, and student achievement data from several middle schools within the studied district, as well as data from each of the school's comparison groups, as designated by the Texas Education Agency, was analyzed. The data used was from the 2018-2019, 2… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Grindle, Colleen D.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Professional Learning Communities and the Supportive Conditions for Improved Teacher Instructional Practices

Description: The purpose of the study was to examine and evaluate the extent to which the supportive conditions (collaboration, teacher efficacy, shared leadership, and trust) were present in the district's current professional learning communities (PLCs) model, and whether teachers perceived the supportive conditions to be related to improving their instructional practices. This mixed-methods study used Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple regression, and focus group interviews to concurrently triangu… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Parham, Charlene Marie
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

English and Reading Teachers' Pedagogical Successes and Challenges during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Description: This qualitative descriptive case study examines the pedagogical teaching and instructional practices of fifth, sixth and eighth grade Texas public school English/reading teachers. This study shares the description of each teachers' English and Reading pedagogy, instructional practices, and their successes and/or challenges prior to and during the pandemic. The participants of the study were from two different school districts in Texas. The study utilized surveys and semi-structured interviews … more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Goodwin, LaTasha Lynee Brown
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Consideration of Dynamic Assessment to Identify Gifted, Emerging Bilingual Latinx Students: Lessons for School Leaders

Description: Little, if any, research exists that provides guidance for educators on the use of a dynamic assessment as a tool for better identifying Latinx students for gifted programs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of campus principals and elementary teachers as dynamic assessment was being considered as part of the gifted and talented identification protocol. Data were collected through teacher and principal interviews and focus groups, along with an analysis o… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Toy, Adam P.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Leadership Framework to Raise Teacher Engagement

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine which principal leadership behaviors are associated with higher levels of teacher engagement. The conceptual framework guiding this study was based on the behaviors associated with four specific leadership styles: transformational, shared, instructional, and transactional. This study used descriptive and inferential statistics to identify teacher perceptions of prominent leadership behaviors of each campus principal. Data related to teacher perceptions… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: O'Bara, Susannah Holbert
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Socioeconomic Status Blocks as Indicators for Academic Achievement Pass Rates

Description: The purpose of this study, through an analysis of the literature review of general scholars in the field of school poverty, equity, efficiency, and student achievement results, was to determine whether economic disparity had a direct statistical significance to student achievement gaps. Specifically, identification of the five socioeconomic tiers using the economic blocks, as defined by the Texas Education Agency, and their corresponding STAAR student achievement results were examined in a bord… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Basurto, Roberto A.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Culturally Proficient Leadership: A Study in the Correlation of School Leaders' Perceived Levels of Cultural Proficiency and Discipline Rates of Black Students in 5A and 6A High Schools in North Texas

Description: The aim of this quantitative study was to explore the connection between self-perceived cultural proficiency among school leaders and the discipline gap for Black students in high schools in North Texas. The study sought to achieve this by (a) identifying the level of cultural proficiency perceived by school leaders, (b) examining the disciplinary rates of Black students in each participating high school, and (c) exploring how school administrators' beliefs regarding cultural proficiency impact… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Malcolm, Cory Denard
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Social and Emotional Learning Programs on Black Students

Description: The study of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) within a social and emotional learning (SEL) program is timely as it supports the increasing body of literature on narrowing the educational gaps prevalent among Black students. Current research is lacking regarding if and how educators utilize CRP to support the learning of SEL competencies with Black students. For this study, the tenets of cultural relevance, SEL competencies, and the leadership practices of one urban district seeking to increas… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: McCowan, Alicia E.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Leadership Support for Teachers' Classroom Management and Student Behavior Professional Learning

Description: Student behavior and classroom management are consistently identified as top reasons teachers leave the profession. A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted in a suburban school district in north Texas to identify how teachers perceive the deficits in their classroom management knowledge and to provide school leaders with data to guide plans for professional learning about effective classroom management strategies. Findings are based on both teachers' and principals' perceptions of su… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Leonardo, Melanie C.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Perceptions of School Leaders about Their Readiness to Lead Early Childhood High-Needs Schools

Description: The problem identified for this study was that principals of elementary schools often do not have the appropriate preparedness and readiness required for meeting the needs of children and teachers in the primary grades. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of early childhood campus leaders regarding how well-prepared they are to supervise a high-needs campus that consists of primary grades which include prekindergarten through third grade. Qualitative methodology of case stud… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Brown, Onjaleke M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effect of Formal Leadership Coaching Support on Principal Self-Efficacy

Description: Principals today face greater job complexities and more diverse challenges than ever before because of decreases in resources, funding, and district support, along with increases in accountability expectations, student diversity, and unfunded federal and state mandates. Principals today are tasked with myriad responsibilities ranging from facilities management and fiscal and legal concerns to instructional leadership and stakeholder relationships. The purpose of this study is to examine the rol… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Heskett, Lori L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Student Perceptions of Advanced Academic Coursework and Its Impact on College and Career Readiness

Description: Although students have more opportunities than ever before to participate in advanced academic programs while in high school, it is unclear whether this has affected their ability to succeed in college. To determine what impact the students' experiences in Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit coursework had on their level of college and career readiness (CCR), students were asked to recall what factors influenced their ability to succeed in postsecondary education and describe what informati… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Doty, Rachel A.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Reading Intervention on Student Achievement in Mathematics

Description: With high stakes testing in public schools, pressure for success prompts schools to implement intervention programs for reading and mathematics, often at the expense of extra-curricular and elective activities. Previous literature indicated a correlation between reading comprehension and mathematical understanding. This study examined the specific intervention programs being utilized by two rural Texas school districts and the impact these programs had on student mathematic scores as measured b… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Farnsworth, Cara
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Campus Leader and Teacher Perceptions of Campus Administrator Actions in Support of Core-Content Professional Learning Communities

Description: The implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) has led to systemwide reform within school districts and campuses regarding how campus leaders support the teachers' collaborative work and continued professional learning. Current research emphasizes the importance of campus administrators cultivating an environment where PLCs can flourish and ensuring that PLC teams have the resources to work effectively. However, campus administrators simply putting these supports in place does n… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Sommers, Kristen
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impostor Phenomenon among Female High School Principals: A Mixed Methods Study

Description: The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to explore the feelings, thoughts, critical incidents, and coping mechanisms of female high school principals and their experiences with the impostor phenomenon. A hierarchical multiple regression revealed that none of the demographic factors such as number of years as a head high school principal, age, percentage of female high school principals in the district, race/ethnicity, marital status, mentorship status, and community type, were st… more
Date: December 2020
Creator: Moriel de Cedeño, Daphne
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover Intention of Teachers Using Computer-Based Curriculum Delivery in a Drop-Out Recovery High School

Description: This current study examined the job satisfaction and turnover intention of teachers working in a drop out recovery program using online curriculum. The subjects of the study were from one charter school district in north Texas that is designated as a drop out recovery program. This qualitative case study used interviews and focus groups to examine eight different areas of teacher job satisfaction to examine factors that influence a teacher's intent to quit or remain at a school. Previous res… more
Date: December 2020
Creator: Beauchamp, Joey
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Effective Leadership Practices in Improvement-Required Schools

Description: This mixed-methods study identified the effective practices of the principal and leadership team in an Improvement-Required (IR) high school that significantly influenced student achievement and guided their school from IR to a rating of Met Standard in one year. IR or F schools under the new system are schools that failed to meet the state accountability target goals. The high school in this study had a large culturally and economically diverse student population with a high percentage of En… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Kimm, Linda L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Mixed Method Inquiry into Student Academic Optimism: Validation of the Construct and Its Use to Give Voice to Latinx Student Experiences

Description: This study examined student academic optimism in four diverse North Texas school districts. This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to analyze results of an online administration of the survey, and Latinx student responses to a focus group protocol derived from the survey. Quantitative results indicate the individual scales making up the construct align with previous research results. The three scales were found to be strongly and significantly correlated, indicating the p… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Viamontes Quintero, Jesika
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Principal Leadership Behaviors that Affect Teacher Collective Efficacy

Description: Research continues to support the positive link between teacher collective efficacy and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to better understand how principal leadership behaviors affect teacher collective efficacy beliefs. The study was designed around Goddard, Hoy, and Hoy's construct of teacher collective efficacy, which is grounded on Bandura's efficacy constructs. The sequential mixed-methods study was designed to examine the perceptions of teacher participants from one T… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Prusak, Kyla J
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

What do They Know about Science? Initial Certification Testing of Elementary Preservice Teacher Candidates

Description: Literature indicates that science content knowledge has long presented difficulties for preservice elementary teachers. Analyses of 473 scores from participants' attempts on an elementary certification exam, the TExES EC-6 Core Subjects, Science (804), were analyzed for this study to determine the impact of a physical science intervention that included demonstration lessons, microteaching, and reflection as part of a science methods course on science content knowledge. Analyses of scores for p… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Pope, Elisabeth
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effect of Accelerated Instruction on Summer Regression

Description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefit accrued to fifth-grade students who participated in a summer school accelerated instruction program utilizing accelerated instructional practices in a Texas school district. The secondary intent was to determine the program's effect on student regression or retention as measured by Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores and State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests in reading and mathematics. The district provided su… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Voss, Pamela J
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Key Factors in Developing a Successful Bond Referendum in Texas School Districts

Description: In May of 2002, Wichita Falls ISD, a district in Texas with a stagnate enrollment of 14,000 students for multiple years, asked for the community to support a $120 million bond to help cover the cost of four new elementary campuses and to maintain and upgrade aging facilities. The bond failed. Additionally, a 2004 bond failed again. Finally, in 2006, the district is finally able to pass a $60 million bond and only includes two new elementary campuses and no funding to address the aging facilitie… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Griffiths, Peter Edward
Partner: UNT Libraries
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