A study of disenfranchised learners in a regional area found that their engagement in formal education was influenced by their learner identities, their perceptions of themselves as learners, and the identity resources on which they draw. Understanding the disconnects between individuals', communities' and educational institutions' assumptions…

Institutions of higher education have been lauded for attempts to diversify the face of the academy by implementing programs and services specifically designed to conduct outreach and recruit "non-traditional" college students. Among those considered non-traditional college students are historically underrepresented Students of Color,…

The purpose of this study was to determine which, if any, specific factors are deterring male teachers from pursuing elementary education. The number of male elementary teachers in America's public school systems had continued to decline, and this survey sought to discover what specific factors had contributed to this. This study surveyed 231 male…

African American faculty have historically been underrepresented within predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and deal with academic isolation, marginalization of their scholarship, and racial hostility. Little is known about the experiences of African American faculty who teach in student affairs graduate programs. The purpose of this study was…

This descriptive study examined whether the coverage of African Americans in the feature articles in Sports Illustrated during the 1990s was representative of their participation levels. Nearly half of the articles featured European Americans; about one-third featured African Americans. More African Americans were featured in basketball, boxing,…

This paper presents an exploratory study of MSW students who self-identified as having political/religious world views differing from what they perceived to be dominant at their school. A goal was to learn about conditions that fostered or inhibited authentic speech for those students. A secondary goal was to learn how students dealt with their…

Peer-facilitated workshops enhanced interactivity in our introductory biology course, which led to increased student engagement and learning. A majority of students preferred attending two lectures and a workshop each week over attending three weekly lectures. In the workshops, students worked in small cooperative groups as they solved challenging…

Among countless petitioners to the incoming president, higher-education leaders have sent Barack Obama position statements and requests for action that extol the strengths and accomplishments of this nation's higher-education enterprise but also warn of its increasingly dire financial situation. They have asked that a share of an impending…

Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Kindergarten Cohort, this study was designed to investigate proportional representation, identification rates, and predictors of language-minority (LM) learners in special education using a nationally representative sample of kindergarten, first graders, and third graders. The findings…

The teaching force in the United States is facing an impending crisis, one that Scherff (2008) describes as a "perfect storm," due to massive retirements, increasing impractical mandates related to the No Child Left Behind Act, and an alarmingly high teacher attrition rate. This unprecedented crisis in both the supply and retention of…

This paper discusses conceptions of identity in relation to science education and presents material from a series of interviews and focus groups with graduate students in science and technology. Given difficulties in retention and levels of significant participation by minority students indicated by aggregate data, the issue of race, as it informs…

To preserve our nation's democratic ideals and compete in the global economy, we must improve postsecondary educational attainment. Indeed, the stakes are so high that prominent government and business leaders have set a goal for the United States to regain its status as the world's most educated country by 2020. Given demographic and…

The school-to-prison pipeline (STPP)--disproportionately impacting students of color--involves a set of interactions between and among children, youth, their families, school personnel, other service providers, and gatekeepers to such outcomes as incarceration or college. Educators can, through their interactions with and expectations for…

The Australian Government's widening participation agenda--also referred to as the social inclusion agenda--considers equity through the triple focus of access, participation and outcomes. These foci are catalysts for re-examining teaching and learning approaches in formal education. This article considers this national refocus and the…

An increased body of research on the recruitment and retention of Black students in gifted programs provides guidance for educators to understand factors that impact Black male underrepresentation in gifted programs. A common concern among high school educators is that schools cannot keep Black males interested in gifted programs. Even in…