This quantitative, nonexperimental study addressed the gap between research-established benefits and outcomes of social-emotional learning implementation as compared to actual instances of implementation. It has been suggested that social-emotional learning as a systemic initiative is necessary for school health (Elias et al., 2013). Additionally, most educators relay some confidence in the importance of social-emotional learning; however, around half report actual implementation within their school (Atwell & Bridgeland, 2019). Focusing on social-emotional learning as a whole as well as the specificity of use of CASEL SELect programs, the research questions of this study explored differences between implementation and usage, length of implementation, poverty classification, student growth composite (as measure by TVAAS composite), and attendance in elementary schools in Tennessee. There were two significant findings in this study. First, Tennessee elementary schools using a social-emotional learning program that is not CASEL SELect were found to have significantly higher attendance than schools using a CASEL SELect program. Additionally, Tennessee elementary schools classified as Title I were found to be more likely to use a CASEL SELect program than a program that is not CASEL SELect.

The lack of positive communication between parents and educators in the Texas district under study is a problem because it interferes with learners' academic success. The purpose of this mixed method study was to understand the communication gap between educators and parents in Title I elementary schools in that district. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems and Epstein's parental involvement model formed the theoretical framework to address the importance of communication between educators and parents as related to student academic achievement. The quantitative portion of the study was carried out through descriptive survey research. The case study method was used for the qualitative portion of the study with data gathered from interviews. The data represented responses from the parent (n = 42) and educator (n = 119) surveys, interviews (n = 10), and a focus group (n = 8) to uncover both educators' and parents' perceptions of communication in the learning environment. Results revealed constructive concerns associated with lack of accessibility, education trust, parent educational background knowledge, collaborative partnerships, continuous communication, and guides to blueprints of learning expectations. The findings indicated the need for an intervention involving a 4-session parent-educator training program designed to implement positive partnerships and to eliminate and bridge the existing communication gap. This project study could promote social change in Title I schools because it conveys an improved understanding of communication gaps within the learning environment. Specifically, this study provides a plan to help parents and educators engage in positive communication to support students' academic success.

The role that support systems play in new teachers' levels of school commitment has been widely documented. However, veteran teachers' levels of commitment have not been as closely studied. According to the department of education in a Southeastern state, the veteran teacher attrition rate at a Title I school in an urban school district was in the double digits for several years. High veteran teacher attrition rates and low levels of commitment can cause problems such as loss of continuity of instruction for students. The purpose of this study was to identify veteran teachers' perceptions of their levels of school commitment and how the district can support and retain veteran educators. Self-determination theory, as it relates to the satisfaction of teachers' needs and concerns in the context of their work environment, formed the conceptual framework for this study. The study was implemented to explore research questions related to veteran teachers' needs and concerns, working conditions, and supports. A case study research design was utilized. Interview data were collected from a criterion-based, purposeful sample of 10 veteran teachers. These data were analyzed inductively for common themes and patterns and resulted in findings based on veteran teachers' needs and concerns such as greater district and parent support and job-embedded professional development. A project was developed based on the findings to address the problem. The project focused on creating professional learning communities to support veteran teachers and increase their levels of school commitment. Positive social change can result from creating these professional learning communities for veteran teachers in order to address their needs and concerns, such as greater school commitment for veteran teachers and more continuity of instruction for students, which will result in higher academic achievement.

Based on previous studies and the author's observations pre-service teachers do not typically consider teaching in underserved areas as their preferred option (Aragon et al., 2014). My goal for this study was to provide PSTs with a different perspective on teaching in urban areas by developing a compendium of evidenced-based practices based on the five major patterns found in effective teaching in underserved elementary schools. A qualitative content analysis of research on teacher effectiveness in underserved, underfunded, and under-resourced elementary schools allowed me to gather data from previous studies to identify evidenced-based best practices for this particular setting. Based on the review of literature, I found the following five major patterns when discussing teacher effectiveness in underserved, underfunded, and under-resourced elementary schools: Student-Teacher Relationships, Safe and Supportive, Learning Environment, Real-world Connections, Collaborative Learning, and Differentiation. Pre-service teachers considering working in an urban environment and veteran teachers can benefit from learning about these five commonalities found in effective instruction when serving underserved populations. A comprehensive website was created to provide educators with a resource that concisely explains evidence-based practices in the urban education setting.

Parent involvement is essential if students are to succeed in school. In fact, "parental involvement is more important to student success, at every grade level, than family income or education" (Starr, 2004). Yet many schools struggle to effectively engage parents in the education of their children as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 now requires. The purpose of this study was to explore parents', administrators', and guidance counselors' perceptions of parent involvement at a Title I elementary school and a non-Title I elementary school, both of which are located in the southern Appalachian region of the United States, to identify successful parental involvement practices, and to determine the perceived impact of parent involvement on student achievement and school improvement. Specifically, this study explored the strategies employed within the 2 elementary schools to encourage parent involvement, identified effective practices of highly involved parents at the 2 schools, and determined barriers to parental involvement at the 2 elementary schools. The findings of this study suggested that parents in both elementary schools have very similar perceptions of parent involvement. Parents from each school reported that they feel welcome in their children's school, communicate regularly with school personnel, engage in parent-child learning activities, and serve on decision making bodies within the school. Surprisingly, parents in both schools expressed a desire for more parent involvement and perceived some parents as not having an equal opportunity to participate in school functions. School personnel identified barriers to parent involvement and described the manner in which they were working to overcome challenges in their respective schools. While principals articulated the desire for greater parent involvement, they perceived their schools as providing opportunities for all parents to be actively engaged in the educational process. Recommendations from the study include providing parents with a specific definition of parent involvement so there is a clear understanding that parent involvement encompasses more than "physical presence," and establishing parent-to-parent outreach programs to mentor those who are reluctant or new to the school.

This study examines the effort to achieve equal federal education funding for California's children living in poverty. In 1998 California's children living in poverty received an average Title I per pupil expenditure of $603. The national average was $717. Some states received as much as $1,200 per child. Put another way, California had 14.8 percent of America's poor children and received only 11.3 percent of Title I funding. This study addresses a fundamental question. What are the causes of this inequity? It is reasoned that the examination of inequity will provide strategic direction in the achievement of a more equitable policy benefit for all children. This case study of the 2001–2002 effort to reauthorize Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, employs a qualitative and comparative theoretical approach. It begins with a historical examination of the origins, development and processes of the United States Congress. The examination continues with a thorough review of the legislative history of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. These examinations reveal the utility of three theoretical perspectives: elitism, class conflict and pluralist bargaining theories. These theoretical approaches are used in a case study that utilizes a thorough review of the relevant documents, observation of the process and interviews of primary participants to reveal key components in achieving a more equitable educational benefit for California's students living in poverty.

A portraiture study was conducted with four children enrolled in various grades of a rural Virginia elementary school. . Purposeful sampling was used as a selection tool, and all students were participants of the Title I program, unsuccessfully discontinued from the Reading Recovery program, and were tested as field dependent, a cognitive characteristic, using the Children's Embedded Figures Test created by Witkin, et al (1971). These participants were observed within a classroom setting, a small group setting, and in a one-on-one setting. Interviews offered the opportunity to investigate the students' feelings and attitudes towards using the overlays. Field notes, unaided observations, participant observations were gathered, and interviews were conducted with the students, as well as with the reading specialist, the teachers, and the administrator of the school. Further data was gained from historical records from the school and evaluative tools used within the classroom, on a periodic basis. Outcomes of this study focus on the process of using colored overlays with these participants, their self-efficacy their feelings about using the tool, how the faculty perceives this tool, and additional implications with regards to field dependence and colored overlays within the classroom. / Ph. D.

The purpose of the study was to identify instructional leadership practices elementary principals in Blue Ribbon awarded public elementary schools in Virginia implemented to influence the instructional program. A mixed methods research design was used to collect and analyze data. Principals at eleven of the sixteen public elementary schools in Virginia who received the Blue Ribbon Award between the years 2013-2015 were interviewed. An interview protocol consisting of eleven questions was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. From the data collected during the interview process, a list of fifty instructional leadership activities was developed by the researcher. The list of fifty activities principals performed were grouped into the following categories; teacher observation practices, providing feedback to teachers, collaborating with teachers to analyze data, implementing professional development, and promoting a positive learning environment. / Ed. D. / The purpose of the study was to identify instructional leadership practices elementary principals in Blue Ribbon awarded public elementary schools in Virginia implemented to influence the instructional program. Principals at eleven of the sixteen public elementary schools in Virginia who received the Blue Ribbon Award between the years 2013-2015 were interviewed. From the interviews conducted, the researcher has provided a template of fifty instructional leadership activities that principals can implement that may have an impact on student performance. The list is categorized into the following sections; teacher observation practices, providing feedback to teachers, collaborating with teachers to analyze data, implementing professional development, and promoting a positive learning environment.

Exclusionary discipline is a consequence of behavior for students who break the student code of conduct. Extensive research about the effects that exclusionary discipline can have on secondary students, as evidenced by reduced graduation rates, has been conducted; but, research studies investigating the potential impact that exclusionary discipline can have on the academic outcomes of students at the elementary level have yet to be conducted. The use of exclusionary discipline is overrepresented in students with low socio-economic (SES) backgrounds; large populations of low-SES students are educated at Title I schools that receive federal funding to support academic growth. The purpose of this causal-comparative, non-experimental study was to investigate the impact that exclusionary discipline consequences had on fifth-grade students who attended all of the elementary schools within one north Texas school district during the 2018-2019 school year. In conjunction with the examination of the effect that the assignment of exclusionary discipline consequences can have on the academic outcomes of fifth-grade students, student-specific variables such as attendance at a Title I or non-Title I campus, student race, timing of exclusionary discipline assignment, and students in various educational programs were investigated to determine the potential impact of exclusionary discipline on fifth-grade students by student subgroup. Archival data such as the number of days a student spent in exclusionary discipline, student demographics, and students' scores on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) standardized test scores in reading and mathematics were utilized. A summary of findings, implications for administrators and schools, and recommendations for future research is also presented.

In January 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind legislation into law. The law established new standards of accountability for individual students, schools, and school systems. Because of No Child Left Behind, the penalties for schools with poor academic performance in our country are the loss of reputation, student enrollment, and financial support. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in standardized test scores in reading and math between fourth-grade students in Title I schools and those in NonTitle I schools. The study focused on the following subgroups: gender, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities. The data were gathered from an analysis of standardized test scores in reading and math of fourth-grade students in 172 elementary schools located in 21 East Tennessee school systems. The data were collected from the 2002-2003 Terra Nova Standardized Assessment Test scores. The Terra Nova test is a standardized test used to evaluate academic progress in the state of Tennessee. In summary, there were some differences between Title I and NonTitle I fourth-grade students in the subject areas of reading and math. Significant differences were noted within the subcategory of gender in both reading and math. Significant differences were also noted within the subcategory of students with disabilities in the content area of math. No significant differences were found in reading for students with disabilities. There were no significant differences between Title I and NonTitle I schools in reading and math within the subcategory of economically disadvantaged students.