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This dissertation seeks to answer two questions. First, why is an introductory sociology course offered in only some high schools? Second, what are the larger historical, intellectual, and structural forces that have shaped and currently shape the content and objectives of high school sociology courses, and how have they exerted an influence? The first question has been answered only once before and the second has never been asked. Regarding the first, I argue that teacher changes and shortages, students' needs and desires, ongoing curriculum revision, the movement toward standardized testing, and the school budget all play a role in determining whether sociology is offered in a particular school from one year to the next. My attempt to answer the second research question brings together the subfields of the sociology of sociology and the scholarship of teaching and learning. I demonstrate that teachers' decisions about course content and objectives are not entirely idiosyncratic, as is often implicitly assumed in the scholarship of teaching and learning. I show instead that decisions about the content and objectives of the high school course are the products of both individual and contextual factors, thus bringing the sociology of sociology's insights to bear on teaching. Specifically, I document how two groups have tried to shape the high school sociology course. On one hand, teachers have consistently taught social problems with an eye toward developing good citizens. Their formulation of content and objectives has been shaped by the historical and social context, curriculum pressures, the textbook market, students' needs and desires, and the limits of their own backgrounds and educations. Sociologists, on the other hand, have pushed for scientific sociology in the high school classroom, especially since 1960. They have been influenced by the persistent tension within sociology between science and reform, by the New Social Studies movement of the 1960s, and by the activities and position of the American Sociological Association. I conclude with practical recommendations for bridging the historical gap between teachers and sociologists. I also recommend paying more empirical and theoretical attention to the study of teaching sociology generally.

The purpose of this study is to explore teacher perceptions, concerns, and integration of a Learning Management System (LMS) in a K-12 public school. With more educational institutions adopting LMSs, it is imperative to examine teachers' concerns regarding the tool as teachers have an important role in how effectively an innovation—such as an LMS—is implemented (Lochner, Conrad, & Graham, 2015). Ultimately, adoption of an innovation can be successful if teachers have an understanding of the components leading to the innovation's success, such as the innovation's value in enhancing both the curriculum and the students' learning experiences (Lochner et al., 2015). This study used the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) as a main framework to not only measure implementation of the LMS, but to also increase the likelihood of the LMS effecting positive change in schools (George, Hall, & Stiegelbauer, 2006). The framework's Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) was used with participants to determine teachers' concerns. The sample population for this study consisted of secondary teachers at a public high school in central Florida in 2017. Out of the 125 teachers employed at the school, a total of 36 (n = 36) participated in the online survey. Three of the teachers surveyed then participated in interviews to provide additional insight. Data was analyzed and organized into five main topics: (a) Stages of Concern Profile; (b) teacher concerns; (c) benefits of the LMS; (d) barriers to the LMS; and (e) teacher needs. An analysis of the survey data revealed that the study's survey participants, on average, had the highest concerns at Stage 0 (Unconcerned), Stage 1 (Informational) and Stage 2 (Personal), thus indicating the group conformed to a non-user profile when it comes to LMS use. An analysis of the interview data revealed an overall positive disposition toward the LMS with the self-awareness that participants have more to learn about its capabilities. Results suggested that LMS implementation should be refined in order to allow participants to advance to higher stages of concern (George et al., 2006). Further research should be conducted on other areas of LMS implementation, including the students' perceptions and concerns when it comes to using the LMS.

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine the culture of students who are deaf and hard of hearing within the broader context of an inclusive high school, specifically as demonstrated though their learning experiences, socialization, and identity. The researcher gathered qualitative data in the form of observations, in-depth interviews, and participant video diary entries to gain insight into the shared cultural model of students who are deaf and hard of hearing. The data provided a holistic picture of cultural phenomena through the points of view of the subjects of the study. The description of the culture of this group of students may prove useful in shaping effective inclusive environments for students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Dystopian literature allows for there to be an avenue, or safety net as I would call it, for people to be able to discuss topics of a harsh nature. Students or young adults today are becoming increasingly more apolitical upon completion of high school. This is due in part to the lack of information or knowledge given to them prior to entering, "the real world." The gravity of situations occurring in today's world during the time of this paper such as the how similar living with COVID-19 is to a dystopian society, or the Black Lives Matter movement, it is vital that young adults know who to turn to, that way they can figure out what is happening within the world. Utilizing dystopian literature within the classroom setting will allow for that avenue each year and create an extra safe space for students to be able to discuss their thoughts on societal issues such as power and individualism. By doing so, teachers will be able to better gauge a student's comprehension of these themes regarding real life. As much as we say it, the youth truly are the future; they are the ones who will determine the direction that our society will move. Teaching them to think metacognitively not only with content specific skills, but also with real world issues that society faces will benefit them, and society down the road.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate whether the Restorative Justice model influenced the number of days that students were suspended out-of-school or the number of out-of-school suspension incidents. In addition, the researcher analyzed whether the Restorative Justice model had different impacts for the subgroups of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch (FRL), English Learners (EL), students qualifying for exceptional student education services (ESE), and three ethnic subgroups (White, Black, and Hispanic) in an urban school district in Central Florida for the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students for the seven school years from 2010-2011 to 2016-2017. Primary data analysis strategies were descriptive statistics and visual analyses utilizing an interrupted time series design. The findings can be helpful in informing decision makers if the Restorative Justice model is having a positive influence on decreasing out-of-school suspension incidents and/or out-of-school suspension days.

This mixed-method study was conducted to investigate characteristics influencing the representation of Hispanic students in gifted programs across Florida K-12 school districts. Characteristics included school district enrollment, school district poverty level, school district percentage of minority students, grade level, and policies and practices relevant to gifted identification. Results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between school district enrollment and the percentage of Hispanic students identified for gifted education in 2016-2017, indicating that Hispanic gifted representation was higher in Grades 6-8 than in Grades K-5 or Grades 9-12. Qualitative methods were utilized to analyze exceptional student education (ESE) policy manuals in two purposively sampled school districts and data from interviews with gifted coordinators in those same districts to determine how policies influenced school-level practices in increasing Hispanic representation in Florida's K-12 gifted programs.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze and examine the differences in the preparedness of educational institutions toward ensuring the security of their data by comparing their self-reported perceptions of security risks and their assessments of the corresponding risk-mitigating practices. Factors that were studied with reference to securing institutional data were aligned with the five components of information systems: hardware, software, data, procedures and people. The study examined the perceptions of security threats associated with these factors and explored the perceptions of the effectiveness of critical measures with respect to these factors within the constraints applicable to educational institutions. Given the dynamic nature of the threats to information security, this study further explored mechanisms and frequencies with which the different types of educational institutions conduct key security practices and stay up-to-date in their information security policies and procedures. The population of interest for this study consisted of a cross-sectional representation of the following types of educational institutions in the state of Florida: public and private PK-12 institutions, public and private universities, and virtual schools. At every stage of this exploratory study, comparative analyses were conducted. The researcher found no statistically significant differences between the types of educational institutions in their perceptions of security risks. However, in terms of their perceptions of the effectiveness of security measures, frequencies of key security practices and policy updates, budget allocations, and overall assessment of security preparedness, the educational institutions showed statistically significant differences.

Academics such as Geneva Gay, Christine Sleeter, Samy Alim, and Django Paris have conducted research that illustrates the importance of educators being not only aware of the culture of their students but implementing curriculum that supports the diverse cultures of their students. A common finding among this research is that a culturally sustaining pedagogy is essential to the inclusion of all students in the classroom and the level of academic success they have in schools. This study aims to investigate the effect of teacher beliefs on the academic performance of Latinx students and on the culture and atmosphere of the school. The purpose of conducting this research is to show the necessity for implementing a culturally sustaining pedagogy and curriculum in schools. My research requires teachers and administrators to answer survey questions concerning their teaching practice, student population, and beliefs about teaching students, specifically Latinx students. I hope to discover how teacher attitudes, both positive and negative, can affect the academic performance of Latinx student and the culture of the school. Lastly, with such an emphasis I would like to use this information to help educators embrace the differences of their students and see the value in incorporating students lived experiences in the class curriculum. Using a survey modeled after Bandura's Survey for Teaching Self-Efficacy this thesis explores the following questions: Research Question One (RQ1): What effect does teachers' attitudes have on the culture of their school?, Research Question Two (RQ2): What effect does teachers' socio-political views have on Latinx student performance?

The deficit narrative about marginalized students of color attributes their failure in school to some nature of innate cognitive deficiency, cultural, social, and familial dysfunctions among other schools of thoughts. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to provide a rich description about this phenomenon and to propose theoretical pedagogical adjustments in the classroom as it relates to educating students of color. The study applies Charmaz (2014) Constructivist approach to grounded theory methods to examine the following research questions: (RQ1) How do teachers' narratives about students of color depict their teaching experiences and (RQ2) How do teachers' narratives about students of color inform students learning? Two overarching themes emerged in this study: practicing color blindness impacts cultural responsiveness while perpetuate deficit thinking, and understanding cultural background stimulates sensitivity when designing curriculum for students of color. The findings of this research demonstrate teachers' deficit thinking depicts their pedagogical practices and informs students learning. The research has both practical and theoretical implications for dispelling the deficit thinking regarding students of color.