This collection includes Capstone Theses and Dissertations submitted by Hamline School of Education and Leadership master’s and doctoral students, respectively. Capstones are the culminating degree work and include research that draws from the student’s formal study as well as professional and personal development.
This is an online listing of the scholarly works of HSEL graduate program students. Works prior to 2015 are available in print in the Bush Memorial Library. Full text, online, prior to 2015, may be restricted to current Hamline students, faculty and staff.
See also: School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Browse Theses and Dissertations by Degree:Theses/Dissertations from 2026
Sharing The Voices Of Latine Students: Their Experiences Of Community, Belonging And Joy In A Suburban Public High School, Ashley Acosta-Meyers
What Leadership And Operational Strategies Should Twin Cities Black-Led Charter Schools Have To Promote School Improvement, Enhance Student Achievement, And Ensure Sustained Organizational Success?, Donald W-R. Allen, II
Resilient Leadership: How Cultural Identity Fuels the Success of Black Male Executives, Anthony Bass
From Crisis To Capability: The Evolution Of Leadership Models And Essential Competencies In The Post-Pandemic Era, Mimi Bekele
Barriers Or Bridges? Analyzing The Role Of Admissions Criteria In Shaping Access To Law School, Meghan Donnelly
Beyond Casebooks: Law School’s Hidden Curriculum, Nubia Nelly Esparza
Academic Achievement Of Students In The United States: The Lived Experience Of Being A Black, Hard-Of-Hearing College Learner, Tracy Laneis Ivy
Secondary Dual Language and Immersion Content Teachers and Their Instructional Materials, Curtis Larsen
I Didn’t Think Teaching Was For Me: An Autoethnography Of Teaching Other People's Children, Jaquinetta Mitchell
The Role of Mindfulness in Building Sustainable Educational Leadership, Joe Mueller
Strategies for Classroom Teachers Using Generative Artificial Intelligence, Hoang-Kim Nguyen
Bilingual Achievement, Identity, and Aspiration: Multilingual High School Students’ Lived Experiences through the Bilingual Seal, Kristy O'Brien
The Standardization Of Teaching: Minnesota Elementary Teacher Perceptions Of Academic Standards In 21st-Century Classrooms, Katie Rotvold
Multilingual Learner Parent Involvement: Perspectives from Parents, Stella Sandager
Multilingual Learner Parent Involvement: Perspectives from Parents, Stella Sandager
The Effects Of A Financial Literacy-Based Classroom Economy Model On Student Behavior, Engagement, And Financial Literacy, Liahna Sauter
The Use Of Assisted Repeated Reading To Increase Fluency And Comprehension Among Adolescent English Language Learners, Matthew J. Wentzell
Theses/Dissertations from 2025
Linguistic Ideologies of Foreign Assistant Language Teachers in Japan, Catherine Johnson
Potential Impact of Educational Equity Leadership on Gifted Education, Melissa Knettel
Lessons from a Life in Transition: An Autoethnography of Regional Attitudes Toward Transgender Educators, Birdie Miller
She Speaks With Stars: Teacher Support for American Indian Students who are Gifted and Have Experienced Trauma, Tracy L. Olson
A Look at Improving Independent Reading: Introducing Concept Mapping into Sustained Silent Reading to Improve Comprehension, Shawn Reagan
Shifting Educators' Perspectives & Instructional Practices From Misconception to Authentic Action for Equity, Alyssa Scherkenbach (Paulson)
Analyzing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Achievement Gap: The State of Education in Minnesota from a Superintendent's Perspective, Jillian Stockmo Chapman
"I'm Here to Teach": Transgender Educators' Experiences in the Public School System, Dana Thompson
What Not to Teach While Teaching: How an Educator's Implicit Bias Can Negatively Impact a Black Student's Educational Experience, John Mark Tinsley
ELLs’ Voices: Their Experiences About WIDA ACCESS Testing And Ways To Support Them, Maricris Treuenfels
Freedom, Agency, and Relevance: Finding a Path to Revolution in a Suburban Public High School, Eric E. Turner
Investigating the Separation of Environmental Education and People with Mobility/Motor Disabilities in National Parks, Ariel Wapnick
Bridging the Divide: Addressing the Achievement Gap Amidst Educational Resegregation in the Twin Cities, Josiah Wiest
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
Elementary Educators’ Beliefs and Practices Regarding Explicit Math Vocabulary and Language Instruction, Katherine Lee Berlin
Principals Who Lead Elementary Schools with Minimal Out-of-School Suspensions, Jennifer Bordonaro
Multilingual Learners’ Perceptions of their Home Languages Using Ruíz’s Language Orientations, Sophie Breen
Women with Administrative Licensure: Their Journey Outside the Principalship, Katie Britton
Teachers’ Perspectives on the Transition of Dual Language Spanish Immersion Students to Middle School, Myriam Castro-Franco
Transferable Skills from Faculty to Students through a Community of Practice, Lisa Chase
Success Factors: English Learners Speak About What Worked for Them, Said Garaad
The Impact of Explicit Instruction in Phonics and Phonological Awareness on Kindergarten English Learners’ Reading Scores, Emily Goranson
Reflections on Influential STEM Experiences for Childhood Science Identity Development from East and Southeast Asian(Americans), Ellie Hechter
Exploring the Second Language Learning Experience and its Influence on Willingness to Communicate and Language Use: A Case Study, Christopher Henchcliffe
Vicarious Trauma of Adult TESOL Educators: A Brief Investigation of Screening Methods, Kenzie Howden
Challenges and Opportunities for the Third-Generation Hmong Adolescents in Public Schools: Preparing for the Future, Changying Lawton
Factors Influencing Multilingual Families’ Decisions to Accept or Waive English Language Services, Emily Mattson
Responding to Disruptive Behavior in Elementary Special Education, Gregory Merritt
Beyond Four Walls: Outdoor Recess as a Complement to Classroom Engagement, Valerie Mulvenna
What are Rural Minnesota Elementary Teachers’ Views Regarding Their Preparedness to Teach Environmental Education, Benjamin Odegaard
Surviving an Artipelago: Art Educator Retention, Alicia Peters
The Influence of the Student-Teacher Relationship on the Mathematics Confidence of Students, Mary Tracey Plante
Examining Elementary English Language Teachers’ Professional Development of Dispositions, Knowledge, and Skills, Jessica Reese
"Servant Leadership: Perceptions and Practices of Parochial School Administrators in the K-12 Setting ", Craig Swanson
Perception of Motivation on Adult Student Academic Achievement, Hailey Swanson
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Striving to Increase BIPOC Family Participation in Early Childhood Family Education, Ayuko Boomer
Networking Matters: Exploring the Developmental Networks of Healthcare Managers and the Relationship to Job Competency Development, Laura Christopherson
The Use of Culturally Responsive Strategies in the Classroom, Melissa Damon
Career Influences of Environmental Education Field Experiences, Lacey Day
Exploring How Elementary ESL Teachers Experience Learning and Change Related to a Genre-Based Approach to Language Instruction, Angela Froemming
Implementing TPR and TPRS in the Adult ESL Classroom with SLIFE Learners: A Teacher’s Diary Study, Ann Gehrt
Every Student Succeeds Act Title I and III Grant Spending and Equity Work in Minnesota, Sara George
“The Heart Of My Professional Work”: A Case Study Of EdD Student Experiences And Their Alignment To Program Outcomes And Graduates’ Professional Practice Needs, Khrisslyn Rae Goodman Chien
The Relationship of Two Co-Teaching Models in a Second Grade Special Education Inclusion Classrooms: Impact on Student Achievement, Natalie Hoffert
Translanguaging: The Instructor-Perceived Benefits of Use in the Adult English Language Learner Classroom, Paul Jonas
Systemic Shock: The Effect of the Pandemic on Teachers’ Beliefs on the Nature and Purpose of Grading in High School, Charlotte Landreau
When the Healer Needs Healing: A Study of Medical School Students and How Universities Answer the Call for Wellbeing, Christiana Maier
Just Another Education Abroad Gatekeeper: Education Abroad Administrators’ Perspectives on Institutional Pricing Models and How Those Models Impact Inclusion Efforts, Katherine Mary Meyer
Serving Together: A Phenomenological Study Of The School Resource Officer And Principal Partnership, Eric Nelson
Becoming a Badass: Developing Positive Embodiment in Women, Nicole O'Connor
Teacher-Student Relationships and Student Behavior, Cassandra Ostergard
Early Career Language Educators Experience Joy and Purpose in the Creation of Multilingual Classroom Ecologies, Jonell Pacyga
Dear Education System, It’s You, Not Me: Burnout in Elementary Special Education Teachers, Bernadette Putman-Bailey
Improving Science Literacy Using Photographic Documentation of Laboratory Activities, Mary Radus
Using Written Self-Assessment to Improve Student Motivation in the Social Studies Classroom, Zachary Robbins
Exploring Perspectives on Nature-Based Early Childhood Education: A Comparative Analysis of Educators and Families, Rachel Schaller
How Equitable Teaching Practices Impact the Mathematical Identity of English Language Learners from Teachers’ Perspectives, Xiaomei Segelstrom
Increasing Engagement and Effectiveness of Independent Reading in the Kindergarten Classroom, Sarah Swanson
The Impact of Universal Learning Strategies on Teacher Burnout in a Project-Based-Learning Secondary School, Benjamin Tuthill
PreK–12 Black Administrators’ Narratives in Urban School Districts, Jude Vales
Exploring How School Choice Affects the Distribution of Educational Resources in Ramsey County Minnesota, Craig Wiltzius
When You Look Into The Mirror And See Nothing: Psychic Disequilibrium And Its Relationship With Impostor Phenomenon In Hmong Women Leaders In The United States, Mai Nhia Xiong-Chan
To What Extent Do 3- to -6-Year-Olds Demonstrate Connection to Nature at a Montessori School in the Upper Midwest, Natasha Yates
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Effects of a Nontraditional Multi-Age Learning Environment on Academic and Social-Emotional Learning: A Case Study, Nicole Black
No “Pobrecito Student”: Translanguaging High-School Science For Academic Language Development, Agustina Borré
A Black Woman’s Road to Principalship: An Autoethnography, Daria Caldwell
Food Justice and Urban Agriculture: Using City Spaces to Foster Equity, Jessica Giese
Unraveling My Sweater: Reflections of White Student Affairs Practitioners Committed to Social Justice, Rebecca Kaarbo
Scouts BSA Wood Badge Through the Lens of Senge’s Disciplines of a Learning Organization, Wendy Marik
Perceived Effectiveness of Legal English Teachers with Differing Qualifications, Frederick Mason
Adult Immigrant English Learners’ Perceptions of Their Multilingual and Multicultural Identities, Greta McElvain
English Learner Families, Rural County Public Libraries, and Rural Public Elementary Schools, Carmel Murphy
Representation of Cultures and Languages in Children’s Picture Books, Kristen Neff
Teachers Describe Their Confidence in Teaching Secondary Students with Low Literacy Skills, Tamara Polzin
Observing the Impact of Environmental Science Exploration and Discovery on the Social-Emotional Learning of 2nd Grade Students, Laura Sammis