Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) graduate programs use outdated identity development models from a primary source (Patton et al., 2016) to teach racial identity development to HESA graduate students and new professionals. Situated in a constructivist paradigm and influenced by the field of psychology, these theories promote life span,…

This study examined special education numbers for public school populations of White, Black, and Hispanic students in New York State and factors hypothesized to contribute to identification and subsequent disproportionality of minority students in special education. Data from the Civil Rights Data Collection (CDRC), combined with data from the…

Data at the national, state, and local levels all indicate disproportionately low enrollment of Black/African American students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes at the high school level. Black/African American students are missing out on educational opportunities and access to an equitable education by not participating in AP classes in high…

Institutions of higher education continue to grapple with how to most effectively meet their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) priorities. Colleges and universities have turned to Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) as the institutional leaders to champion to provide leadership for creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive experiences and…

First-year composition (FYC) has historically functioned as a space for furthering the linguistic assimilation of students into "appropriate" forms of communication in academic spaces. While often going unstated in course/writing program goals, Standardized American English (SAE) has typically been the language variety elevated in FYC…

In response to social developments and the civil rights movement in the 1960s, the social work profession began to develop a formal identity which included a commitment to social justice. Today, that concept of social justice includes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in education and practice. Teachers and researchers have rarely…

Mathematics is integral to today's world, but many students fear solving arithmetic problems. In the U.S., more than 82% of students in grades 7th through 10th fear math. In 2021, 80% of Florida high school students failed Algebra I end-of-course exam. Math anxiety has negatively impacted students' social cognitive, and academic skills. This basic…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) serve as cultural sanctuaries fortified to affirm the value, importance, and life possibilities of African American (Black) and other underserved student populations. These institutions were founded to empower formerly enslaved African Americans and have maintained a legacy of opening the doors…

There is a dominant Discourse that juxtaposes science and Black cultures. This Discourse limits who can be a scientist and creates a racist, seemingly objective landscape in which Black individuals must persevere. This study examines how Black learners perceive their developing racial, scientific, and positional identities within a Black-centered…

The popularity of distance learning has increased among higher education students owing to its flexibility and convenience, as it enables learning from any location and at any time. Despite the substantial number of enrollments, distance learners are experiencing high attrition rates, leading to low completion rates compared to students enrolled…

The prevalence of disordered eating among children and adolescents has been steadily increasing, posing an increase in the need for treatment. Recognizing and addressing disordered eating in childhood and adolescence is critical to fostering a healthy relationship with food and body image and ensuring the overall well-being of youth. Play has long…

Black women have existed on the margins of higher education for many years. Our voices, perspectives, stories, struggles, and even our successes have been largely ignored by the dominant sociocultural group. Additionally, most of the literature on Black women in higher education either lumps us all together regardless of role or focuses on faculty…

Student affairs educators and administrators at institutions of higher education aim to facilitate student learning, provide support, and offer opportunities for meaningful connection, ultimately hoping to retain students. One potential way to meet these goals is the implementation of a curricular approach that fosters inclusive learning…

This study focused on understanding how "familismo," rurality, schooling experiences, and racial identity affect the postsecondary education journey of rural Latina/o/x students in the Southwest. Furthermore, the dynamic regarding Latina/o/x college access and opportunity was introduced with an emphasis placed on minoritized experiences…

The research for this dissertation is a study of one case example of programs and classes put into place for African American males at community colleges around the United States with a focus on how these programs were successful or not in assisting in the persistence, retention, and graduation of these students. The purpose of using Cross' (1991)…