The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), also known as the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), was enacted in California in 2013-2014. The legislation allows local California K-12 school districts to create their own spending plans with input f . . .

There is a crisis in public education. The gaps of inequity continue to increase for students living and attending schools in impoverished neighborhoods (Center for Public Education [CPE], 2016; Musu-Gillette et al., 2016). As a result, there is an ur . . .

This mixed-methods study examined in-depth evidence of the dimensions of transformational leadership as reflected in the leadership practices and behaviors of principals within a large urban school district. Using an explanatory sequential research de . . .

Beginning high school English teachers encounter multiple challenges, due to the complexity of the English classroom. Like other new teachers, they are often overwhelmed with preparing day-to-day lessons for multiple preparations, large classes of div . . .

The purpose of this study was to investigate the interrelationships between principal’s RTI implementation approach, teachers’ RTI knowledge, and their beliefs of supporting students who are struggling in school. This study presents how school princip . . .

Building highly effective professional learning communities focused on shared vision, data driven decision making, collective learning, culture of collaboration, supportive conditions, and shared leadership, can improve higher educational institutes a . . .

Asian American school leaders are underrepresented in the K-12 public school system. In comparison with other racial and ethnic groups, Asian American female administrators are largely underrepresented in the executive positions in the workplace of to . . .

In recent years, the discourse of internationalization has been moved from the periphery to the center in higher education dialogues. However, the perspectives of international education professionals as interpreters and implementers of internationali . . .

This dissertation examines the problem of providing meaningful teacher evaluation in an era in which teacher and student expectations have changed dramatically due to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). School administrators are often not able to . . .

This qualitative single-case study illuminated the significance of effective character education implementation during elementary school years as students transition into middle school. The purpose of this case study was to identify key practices and . . .

This study aimed to determine how Design-Based Learning (DBL) methodology contributes to students’ growth in skill areas related to creativity and how it contributes to teachers’ growth in use of instructional and creative strategies to promote creati . . .

This narrative inquiry study examined the life experiences of seven Latina women administrators who are or were school principals in the K-12 educational public school system. The study was conducted in an urban K-12 school setting with a high populat . . .

The purpose of this study was to determine factors that affect academic achievement for Long-Term English Learners (LTELs). Factors that were identified can lead educators towards improving practices and procedures for LTELs. By improving these practi . . .

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of Latino fathers as an untapped resource with the ability to positively influence the academic experiences of Latino youth. It provides context for educators and community members by exp . . .

Purpose This study was designed to examine the professional practice of three elementary school principals who lead public elementary schools with student and family populations that are majority minority and have a high-percentage of low socio-econom . . .

The emotional work of elementary school teachers is explored through examining the factors of teacher burnout including emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment and correlating the results to schools with high and l . . .

The purpose of the study was to examine the systems of support that principals establish at their school sites to support teachers with the academic achievement of the English learner population. Two schools from a single district were selected. These . . .

A college education has become a prerequisite in the United States. to increased job opportunities that pay more than minimum wage; yet, many Latina/os are not attaining college degrees (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Although the Un . . .

Literature has postulated that African-American students are consistently and chronically underperforming in today’s K-12 educational system. The national statistics on African American achievement and standardized tests, continue to show dismal progr . . .

The purpose of this study was to explore how principals can support teachers of English Language Learners in order to help them meet the rigorous and challenging Common Core standards. Specific challenges of teaching English Language Learners and stra . . .

The purpose of this study was to identify agribusiness industry professionals’ and employers’ perceptions of the key employability skills needed by today’s graduates to be successful in California agribusiness. In addition, the experiences and percept . . .

Recent shifts in policy and subsequent changes in disciplinary practices have placed emphasis on School Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) as a system which could potentially reduce exclusionary practices and impact the Schoo . . .

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to (1) To identify urban high school teacher’s views on cooperative learning (2) To identify to what extent high school teachers in urban areas implement strategies and teach skills that support the five elem . . .

It is recognized internationally that effective leadership in early childhood is vital to success of quality early childhood care and education. There is a need for our nation to commit to provide a comprehensive and coordinated system of early childh . . .

This dissertation assessed the impact of the African American college experience in education and aimed to determine if there were factors or trends that led to high student loan debt. I reviewed institutional data, conducted a survey, and assembled f . . .

The purpose of the study was to describe the impact of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) on students that participate in the high school program. This study also examined these impacts on Hispanic AVID students. A mixed methods design wa . . .

This study was aimed at determining the Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) and non-Evidence-Based Practices most widely used for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and to find out if there are challenges that teachers may be facing in implementing EBP . . .

The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (n.d) was funded by the National Center of Special Education Research (NCSER) to examine experiences and achievements of students with learning disabilities during high school through postsecondary schoolin . . .

Research with humans has occurred for centuries and today is conducted at many institutions of higher learning. As a result of revelations of unethical conduct of human experiments in biomedical and social science during the 20th century around the wo . . .

College enrollment for the Latino/a population has improved over the past 30 years, yet even with this growth, Latinos/as continue to trail their Caucasian and Asian peers in college enrollment and attainment (Camacho-Liu, 2011; Fry, 2011; Krogstad, 2 . . .

This dissertation investigated the importance of the Hispanic-Serving Institution designation and also aimed at assessing the impact of the designation on Latina/o students’ retention and graduation success. The researcher reviewed institutional data . . .

The level of parent engagement that is now being mandated by law has evolved from shallow and casual participation to a more deep and evaluative participation. National educational policies continue to emphasize the importance of establishing programs . . .

The rights of students with disabilities and their parents have evolved over the past 40 years. Students with disabilities have gained equal access to the educational opportunities of their general education classmates. With the evolution of the laws, . . .

College attrition among African American males is an endemic problem in higher education. Research studies that explored college persistence among African American males generally adopted a deficit perspective, thus creating a need for an anti-deficit . . .

This dissertation focused on a program created in a community serving a Latino student majority to bring further equity to educational outcomes; specifically, to increase the number of students entering two- and four- year universities. Key purposes o . . .

One of the greatest challenges facing rural schools is retaining “highly qualified” teachers. Compared to schools in urban areas, rural schools have difficulty filling vacancies, especially those in science and math. The shortage of qualified teachers . . .

For over forty years, school districts in California have received state and federal funding in more than 50 categories (e.g., English learners, special education, transportation). These categorical funding programs target specific kinds of student ne . . .

Reducing dropout rates and increasing high school graduation rates among “at risk” youth, particularly gang-affiliated students, remains a national challenge. This narrative inquiry study was conducted to learn directly from gang-affiliated students w . . .

Good schools need good principals. In fact, school leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school (Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010). A shortag . . .

The purpose of this study was to identify the moral transformative actions and beliefs of a successful principal that positively influenced a school culture in a high needs middle school. The following research questions helped frame the purpose of th . . .

The purpose of this study was to identify promising practices, processes, and policies in California public schools that prepare high percentages of Latino males to enroll in postsecondary education and to achieve college graduation. Villenas and Fole . . .

The education world is facing a growing concern for its beginning or early career teachers (ECTs) in regard to retention, especially in urban high-needs schools with predominately African-American/Latino students. The retention of ECTs is dismal, 50% . . .

A parent’s involvement in their child’s education is one the more important contributing factors that increases the efficacy and quality of education in a child’s home and school environment that affects a child’s development (Kuru Cetin & Taskin, 201 . . .

The purpose of this study was to inform school leaders about how to minimize the number of chronically absent elementary students within the school district. Through the perspectives of a sensemaking framework and the framework of the ethic of profess . . .

The purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which two professional learning opportunities in one school district were successful in supporting the integration of technology into teachers’ instructional practices. The professional learn . . .

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2016), presently, the majority of children in our nation’s schools are students of color. With poverty rates rising among public school children, and America continuing its demographic shift t . . .

The purpose of this study was to capture the experiences and perceptions of parents in a predominately Latina/o, low socioeconomic neighborhood of factors that influenced the ways they were involved in their children’s learning. An increased understan . . .

The purpose of this study was to expand knowledge of the lived experiences of current and former foster university students who had a goal of graduating with a four-year degree. This study explored how resilience played a role in current and former un . . .

School choice is a long-standing tradition in the United States. New to the options available to K-12 parents are full-time virtual schools, and this option is an even more recent development for parents of students with disabilities. Very little rese . . .

High-quality, professional learning can improve educator effectiveness and is linked to improved student learning (Jaquith, Mindich, Chung-Wei, & Darling-Hammond, 2010; Odden & Picus, 2014; Timperley & Alton-Lee, 2008). By creating a professional lear . . .