This study focuses on the personal experiences and contexts that influenced the racial awareness of three White bilingual teachers. Using Bourdieu's theories of habitus and field and discourse analysis as a framework, this study sought to understand: (1) how and which contexts contributed to a White teacher's understanding of racial constructs…

For many years, the conventional wisdom in the field was that grade retention was a bad idea. A 1997 opinion piece in "Education Week" titled "Grade retention doesn't work" reflected the prevailing sentiment in the education community and the available research evidence at that time: retained students performed worse than their…

With high stakes testing in public schools, pressure for success prompts schools to implement intervention programs for reading and mathematics, often at the expense of extra-curricular and elective activities. Previous literature indicated a correlation between reading comprehension and mathematical understanding. This study examined the specific…

School-based organization, time management, and planning skills-related (OTMP) interventions have been developed to address academic and organizational difficulties students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder face (ADHD), especially when entering secondary school (DuPaul et al., 2012; Evans et al., 2018; Villodas et al., 2014). For OTMP…

The purpose of this phenomenology case study was to examine what motivated formerly incarcerated Black males to complete their community college degree and what best supported them on their educational journey. This study offers in-depth insight into a multifaceted situation and informs community college administrators, state policy and statute…

The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs and perceptions of teachers and their view of social-emotional programs, specifically Second Step®, and its effect on students from low-income households. Given the current state of specific students who battle language barriers and poverty levels, some children are not taught critical thinking…

School counselors have been encouraged to operate within a multi-tiered system of support and develop a comprehensive school counseling program to oversee the academic, social emotional, and career development of their students (Goodman-Scott & Ockerman, 2019). To guide their program, school counselors may choose to utilize the American School…

The WIRE Youth Development Programs, housed within the Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, foster two enrichment programs geared towards strengthening the gap in academic knowledge through STEM/STEAM activities. Since its inception, WIRE has impacted over 1,000 youth…

While policymakers have demonstrated considerable enthusiasm for "science of reading" initiatives, the evidence on the impact of related reforms when implemented at scale is limited. In this pre-registered, quasi-experimental study, we examine California's recent initiative to improve early literacy across the state's lowest-performing…

The transition from high school to college is both scary and unfamiliar to each year's new participants. For high school students attending school in underserved communities, this transition can be lonely and often inaccessible. To combat this, nonprofits and other community organizations provide additional support services to students during this…

Research suggests that takeovers are not a silver bullet for improving struggling school systems. State takeovers of school districts have happened in all major regions of the country but disproportionately affect some types of communities more than others. There are two main reasons states typically give for enacting takeover: low academic…

The problem addressed in this study was the ineffectiveness of federally implemented college and career readiness programs to ensure that at-risk African American male students are adequately prepared for academic and career success. Academic performance for at-risk African American males in high schools is significantly lower than their peers. In…

The primary goal of public education systems is to have students graduate from high school with a diploma prepared to enter college or the workforce. Meeting that goal for all students has long been a challenge for schools across the county. The graduation rate for all Maryland students was 87%, but for students with disabilities, the graduation…

The purpose of this qualitative evaluation was to understand how the Ascent program, a bridge initiative at Plymouth State University, programmatically addressed institutional concerns regarding student retention and persistence during its three-year pilot phase, according to the perceptions of past participants, faculty, and administrators. The…

A cluster randomized design was used to investigate the effects of the "Story Friends" vocabulary curriculum on learning of 84 preschoolers in 24 classrooms who were at risk for language difficulties. Children in the treatment condition received explicit vocabulary instruction of 36 words during small-group storybook listening centers…