The underlying assumption of this study is that writing as a process has profound implications for success and fulfillment both in and beyond the classroom. A second assumption is that electronic portfolios provide students a space to write, revise, reflect, share, and explore themselves as writers. Students who engage with and embrace the writing…

As a Black Southern woman with a personal history of overcoming systemic barriers, I, the researcher, serve as an Implementation Director for Pre-AP, assigned to support districts in the Midwest and Southwest regions. Implementation Directors for Pre-AP serve as the main points of contact for Pre-AP districts/sites across the nation, acting as…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of open access policies for Advanced Placement (AP) courses on student participation and performance, particularly focusing on minority and low-income students in a rural school district in Central Florida. The study addressed significant barriers to equitable access to AP courses, including…

Global organizations, such as the United Nations, have increasingly focused on ensuring that students with special needs are receiving high quality education. With schools in over 158 countries worldwide, the International Baccalaureate (IB) system provides an ideal forum to investigate if students with dyslexia globally are receiving adequate…

With the changes in the educational landscape, holding students' attention has become an even more crucial point. Educators are having to find creative ways and means to engage students and make learning 'fun'. There have been numerous research studies to show that gamification can be used to drive student engagement, achievement, and reinforce…

Students from low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are underrepresented in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. This underrepresentation in the AP program denies students of the documented benefits experienced by enrolling in rigorous courses, such as AP, while in high school. This phenomenological qualitative study examined the perception of…

Across the United States, African American males face barriers to securing a quality education. Barriers such as educational gatekeeping, and low identification, have caused African American males' enrollment in advanced placement courses to be at a rate lower than all other ethnicity and gender populations. A qualitative approach to research was…

The current political trends to ban the teaching of race and racism in public schools, to eliminate Advanced Placement African American Studies classes, and to whitewash U.S. history standards, maintain hegemonic discourses, while simultaneously devaluing the teaching of Black histories and sanitizing the legacy of race and racism in U.S. society.…

Black male students are underrepresented in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Studies on the perspective and experiences of high-performing Black male students with Advanced Placement (AP) is limited. Available research indicates that high-performing Black students are enrolled at half the rate of White students both nationally and locally in…

Using an exploratory case study approach, this study examined the school leadership factors that contribute to building Latinx student social capital as well as the best practices for creating a more equitable AP program. Through this qualitative study, the organizational and leadership factors of the AP program at Stripes High School (pseudonym)…

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the experiences and perceptions of African American, Latinx, and South Asian American girls of color in academically driven programs in an urban high school. The literature is clear that girls of color are underrepresented in International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and Dual…

Hispanics comprise the fastest-growing ethnicity in the United States. One in five college students is Hispanic. While Hispanics are gaining access to higher education, their college completion rate is dismal, compared to Whites and other ethnicities. Hispanics face unique academic and social challenges in college. This phenomenological study was…

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the engagement of Hispanic Advanced Placement science learners in California's Central Valley as perceived by high school teachers. Methodology: The mixed method study surveyed 20 Advanced Placement science teachers from the region of interest. Likert surveys were used to determine:…

The purpose of this Delphi study was to describe a consensus among selected high school guidance counselors about common barriers to advanced coursework opportunities experienced by high school students. The Delphi technique developed by the RAND Corporation is a method that combines multiple rounds of questions completed by a panel of experts in…

This dissertation contributes to the scholarship surrounding the development of international mindedness in teacher candidates. Phenomenological interview techniques were used to explore the experiences and perceptions of teacher candidates who enrolled in an undergraduate teacher preparation program leading to the International Baccalaureate…