Chronic absenteeism is a critical predictor for student achievement and high school graduation rates and helps to identify at-risk students. It is a significant challenge in the NYC public school system, driving inequitable outcomes for marginalized students. Since 2014, NYC public schools have used the community school model as an equity…

Research focusing on White male allies confronting racism on Predominately White campuses remains scarce. White males in higher education dominate leadership roles and these roles still perpetuate White privilege on predominately White campuses. According to Lemaire (2001), White privilege examples can be found in four paradigms. The first is that…

The U.S. schooling system has a long history of failed reforms that lead to schools consistently perpetuating society's inequities. Rigid organizational structure, built purposely to sustain the life of the institution (as if it, and not the children, were the thing whose life mattered), ensures that even the most well-intentioned transformative…

Hispanic women in higher education are underrepresented as faculty and mid-level administrators and are not ascending through the career pipeline into higher leadership positions at community colleges. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the experiences of Latinas in a career in academia. This study was conducted as a qualitative…

This dissertation examines the discourses surrounding remote learning during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic through Twitter conversations. Employing a Critical Discourse Analysis informed by Michel Foucault's theories of discourse and power, this study explores how the pandemic has transformed educational interactions over social…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to examine the power differentials that manifest within Kansas public higher education due to policies surrounding territory assignments and degree offerings for Kansas two-year community and technical colleges. The study provides insight into the differential effects of these policies among different…

Open remix, defined as the objects, processes, and mindsets developed through the act of combining or manipulating open educational resources to create something new (Hilton et al., 2010; Knobel & Lankshear, 2008; Lessig, 2004; Wiley, n.d.), serves as an effective teaching and learning practice for its propensity to expand technological…

The purpose of this research was to explore how the intersection of gender and race influence the advancement of women of color to senior-level leadership positions at higher education institutions. This study discusses perceptions and perspectives on advancement and a variation of obstacles that continue to prohibit and limit opportunities for…

The research and discourse surrounding Black women in college has continued to expand in its scope in recent years. Scholars have written about Black college women in several ways describing the intersections of their multiple identities, racial battle fatigue, and the unique adversities they face (McKinzie & Richards, 2019, Shahid et al,…

A qualitative case study approach was employed to explore the perspectives of stakeholders affiliated with an inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) program for students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) in the pacific northwestern United States. Utilizing Artiles' (2009) cultural-historical paradigm, three research…

While some might say that mathematics is neutral, free from political and social bias, social justice concerns can be found in the day-to-day actions of teachers in mathematics classrooms. Teaching mathematics for social justice requires teachers to gain knowledge of the world and systems of oppression as well as current efforts to both address…

Teacher agency has been a burgeoning topic of research in education and music education. In education research, professional agency has been associated with the influence of policy, teacher demographics, teacher beliefs, professional developments, and teaching environments. In music education, music teacher professional agency is a music teacher's…

This phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of nonprofit employees who, in their formal roles, actively promoted racial equity within their organizations. The research investigates the origins of their commitment, the multifaceted challenges they face, and the transformative potential embedded in their efforts. Employing a…

While significant progress has been made in diversifying student demographics and entry-level staff and faculty positions, higher education leadership and decision making remain predominantly European American and male dominated. This dissertation explored this pressing issue by employing a critically interested grounded theory approach. Framed by…

Community College Written Communication 1 (ENC) instructors encounter complex challenges when attempting to teach writing skills to diverse student populations. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the perceptions of full-time community college ENC faculty and determine the instructional strategies they use to…