The COVID-19 pandemic has forced educators since 2020 to shift from all in-person learning to virtual learning through applications like Zoom. Students are now part of a collage of faces including their teachers’ who often may be dealing with technical glitches, foreign-looking interfaces, and unintentionally disruptive students. On the other side, students may struggle to find a stable working environment as they learn from home. Distance learning has been explored well before 2020, but its necessity, given the nature of a virus that preys on in-person interaction, has forced itself to the top of relevant conversation. . The issues with distance learning in primary education have roots in long standing issues with the education system as a whole. Without greater public awareness of the woes in our education system, the status quo of declining academic success, teacher salaries, and increasing classroom sizes will continue in the future. The problems with distance learning specifically represent a much more everlasting issue that is lack of accountability and action of lawmakers who are able to make these reforms.

The purpose of this study was to bring new information to the field of education research on graduation rates and school programming. Research on graduation rates and the effects of school programs exist, however there is not an abundance of research aimed specifically at Title I high schools. The goal was to find what school characteristics might impact graduation rates in this population. The thesis focused on Title I high schools in the Phoenix Union District with a graduating 2019 class of at least 250 students. This limited the effect of variability (school size, location, socioeconomic status). To research this topic, school characteristics were selected including course rigor, mentor programs, and college prep programs, as well as specific schools. To obtain the information, multiple sources were used including the Arizona Department of Education website, school websites, and school administrators/staff. The research revealed that the effect of course rigor, college prep programs, and mentorship on graduation rates in Phoenix Union High Schools is not apparent. Further research should be conducted into other possible causes for the gaps in graduation rates between the Title I high schools in this district. Future research on ELL students and programs in the Phoenix Union district and their effectiveness or lack thereof is also recommended. The research shows that this large demographic negatively correlates with the overall graduation rates at the six schools researched.

Digital learning tools have become ubiquitous in virtual and in person classrooms as teachers found creative ways to engage students during the COVID 19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic and widespread remote learning, however, digital learning tools were increasingly common and a typical part of many classrooms. While all digital learning tools are worthy of study, math digital learning tools (MDLTs) designed for K - 8th grade in particular raise questions of efficacy and usefulness for classrooms. This paper shows that MDLTs are an effective tool to raise students’ math achievement across K - 8th grade, and that time spent on MDLTs can lead to better understanding of a topic than traditional, teacher led instruction. However, if the MDLT is being delivered in a language the student is not familiar with, that student will not be able to benefit from MDLTs in the way other students do. This is also true of students who receive Special Education services. Additionally, higher quality MDLTs that provide feedback that attaches meaning to students’ work creates a better learning environment for students than one with simpler feedback. Based on my experiences with student teaching this year and using the popular MDLT IXL frequently, I recommend that MDLTs not just be used for independent practice time, but for whole class, problem solving sessions where students have to use mathematical thinking in new content areas. This will build deeper conceptual learning and a greater sense of achievement in students.