The Doctor of Education degree at Sacred Heart University has a concentration in Social, Emotional and Academic Leadership. It is housed within the Farrington College of Education and Human Development’s Department of Educational and Literacy Leadership. The 60-credit program includes a doctoral dissertation based on the principles of Improvement Science. Candidates analyze a complex problem of practice, examine root causes, research, implement and assess changes in practice designed to address the issue. The result is a Dissertation in Practice modeled after the guidelines of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED), of which our college is a member.
Theses/Dissertations from 2025
An Improvement Science In Practice: Empowering Paraeducators Working With Students With Disabilities In Supporting Student Engagement And Self-Regulation, Carol Ann Barnes
Using Function-Based Thinking To Support Adaptive Student Behavior For Elementary Students, Hilary R. Baude
Climate Change in An Urban Catholic School: Taking the Temperature With a Three-Pronged SEl Intervention, Christa Marie Chodkowski
Using Community Circles to Build A Sense Of Belonging In Kindergarten, Andrea J. D’Aiuto
Protecting The Dignity Of The Child: A Study In Trauma-Sensitive Practices And Collective Efficacy In An Alternative Educational Setting, Erin Dessureau-O'Hara
Teacher Mindset: Improving Academic Outcomes for Students With Disabilities, Tracy A. Edwards
Building Educator SEl Capacity To Support Disruptive Student Behavior, Kendall Eshenfelder Fenton
Isolating The Causes Instead Of The Student: Building Belonging And Connectedness Among And With Students, Cheryl Ann Faga
Empowering Educational Leaders: Elevating Social-Emotional Learning Through Transformative Professional Learning, Jennifer Hoffman
Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Through Transformative Strengths And Self-Efficacy-Based Family Engagement And Learner Support, Gemma Joseph-Lumpkin
Strengthening Educators' Metacognitive Instructional And Assessment Practices To Support The Academic Achievement Of Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth, Meredith G. Kennedy
Exploring Educator Attitudes and Their Impact on Racial Inequities In School Discipline, Chanel Renee` Rice
Fostering Educator Well-Being To Manage Job-Related Teacher Stress, Jennifer L. Ringelheim
Improving Early Intervention Team Practices: A Single-Case Design, Christopher Jay Siano
Leveraging Elementary Teachers' Social-Emotional Competencies Through Educational Neuroscience, Kara Sievel
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
Improving School Climate: The Impact Of A Perma-Based Intervention On Educators' Well-Being And Emotional Intelligence, Jennifer Andrews Kenney
Building Teacher Resiliency To Alleviate Burnout: An Action Research Study In An Urban Middle School, Alyssa Christine Barrett
Empowering Parents As Partners In Learning: Practices For Developing A Robust Home Learning Environment, Jennifer L. Bencivengo
Redefining the "Good Kids": A Mixed Methods Improvement Science Study in Mitigating Implicit Bias in Behavior Management Practices, Gabrielle Renee Delgado
Optimizing Partnership Impact: Prioritizing High-Quality Social-Emotional Learning In A Sports Enrichment Out-Of-School Time Program, Julie Thompson Goldstein
Love One Another! Merging Biblical Teaching and Social-Emotional Learning: A Framework for Introducing SEL in Christian Schools, Nancy Pittard Jones
Bringing Our Folding Chair To The Table: Adopting Social Justice Through The Retention Of Black Women Educational Leaders, Jasmin Osborne
Building Community: Strengthening Student Connectedness And Sense Of Belonging In Our Schools, Shannan D. Perry Carlson
The Education and Generalization Of Educator Social Emotional Learning Capacities To Impact Student Success, Mariel Palombo Pipchinski
Welcoming All: Closing Racial Gaps in School Connectedness, Ashley T. Sherman
An Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice: Promoting Teacher Retention and Preventing Burnout among Elementary and Middle School Educators, Jacki L. Spring
Affirming Black Girls: Creating And Sustaining Affirming And More Inclusive learning Environments For Black Girls Through Professional Learning, Demetria Green Walters
Teacher Retention: Building Self-Efficacy To Keep Educators In The Classroom, Dawn M. White
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
A Balancing Act: Analyzing the Effects of Embedded versus Isolated Self-Regulation Breathing Techniques on Inattention and Phonemic Segmentation Skill Acquisition in Kindergartners, Kimberly A. Atkinson
The Journey to Improving Student Connectedness: Exploring Teacher Self-efficacy, Use, and Perceptions of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Christopher F. Cipriano
Put Your Own Mask On First: A Supportive Group-based Experience for Teachers Developing Competence in Employing SEL in the Classroom, Karolyn S. Dahlstrom
Building Emotionally Skilled Teachers: A Mixed-methods Study Exploring the Impact of MBI on Perceptions of Self-management, Enhanced Mindfulness, Well-being, and Stress, Emily Coffin Daigle
See Me, Hear Me, Teach Me: Addressing Equity, Diversity, and Student Engagement through Culturally Responsive Teaching, Diana DiIorio
Moving the Needle: Impacting Teachers' Practices That Support Students' SEL Development, Tammi Y. Dockett-Wilson
Unlocking Classroom Discourse: Supporting Early Career Teachers in Their Development of Culturally Inclusive Social-Emotional Teaching Practices, Kelly L. Falvey
Analyzing the Effects of Mathematical Mindsets and Self-regulation of Middle School Students to Overcome the Challenges of Math Anxiety, Bardhyl Gjoka
Addressing High School Student Stress: Exploring Student and Teacher Perceptions of a Modified DBT STEPS-A Curriculum, Greg C. Hatzis
Our Words Matter: The Impact of Professional Development on Positive Teacher Language, Jennifer L. Hilderbrand
The Effects of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy on Middle School Teachers' SEL Self-efficacy and Instructional Practices, Caitlin A. O'Keefe
Addressing Student Stress: The Impact of Training on Student Assistance Team Practices, Kaitlin Stanton
"I Am Not Alone": Supporting Teachers of Color through Affinity Groups, Marissa J. White
