The action research methodology for this study reports descriptive statistical findings from the performance of 19 Early Childhood Education African American teacher candidates matriculating through a state-approved program at an HBCU. Researcher-moderators provided a treatment plan of focused summer workshops, conceptualized based upon the findings of low first-time passing rates on the Early Childhood Education Exam, predominately content knowledge in social studies and reading. The action researchers suggest that continued research and a larger sample size is needed to provided empirical evidence of the causal variables and factors that affect candidate performance on the examination, but the observed phenomena and semistructured follow-up reflections of the first-time passers may promote evidence of Maslow's motivation theory in practice and the intrinsic love for teaching by the candidates who participated in the treatment and successfully passed the test.

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The field of education is constantly changing, and with the current COVID-19 pandemic, it will undoubtedly change the way education systems operate in the future. This chapter covers several key topics related to navigating post-doctoral career opportunities for PK-12 educators. Educators are in a unique position to contribute to research in the field in which they have a plethora of experiences. With a major focus on student outcomes, there is a critical need to understand factors that directly impact learning such as parent involvement, socio-economic status, technology, and student behavior. Using an ethnographic approach, the authors provide insight into challenges post-doctoral professionals may face in attempts to enhance their professional identity. These narrative accounts shed light on not only the role of mentors but the desire to contribute to the body of research through the development of research agendas.

The chapter sought to provide a summative reflection from the co-authors based upon narrative research. Two of the co-author designed questions for her mentor based upon Standard 6 of the ELCC Standards as related to the co-author's current careers and how the mentor mentee relationship assisted in formulating those careers. The mentor trained and mentored the co-authors using transformational leadership as the guiding principle for preparing the co-authors to become transformational educational leaders in their field.

Personalized journeys that reflect the development of deep-seated perseverance and determination characteristics evolve from stresses and traumatic events that may be short-term or longer-term from past experiences, yet still can impact the doctoral candidate's progression through the dissertation journey. A sensitivity towards one's own psychological balance during highly stressful and destabilized beliefs around one's self-efficacy are impactful during the dissertation, potentially subverting and undermining a doctoral candidate's ability to maintain a balanced psychological approach towards anxiety-riddled and stress-inducing cognitive dissonance and engagement. Discussions around the ability to support doctoral candidates during the dissertation journey are highlighted, including perseverance and determination characteristic strengths, weaknesses, and areas of potential growth areas of engaged development, upon the doctoral candidate's personality.