Education Commons^™

Can Free College Programs Level The Playing Field? An Exploratory Study Of Understanding Non-Economic Persistence Barriers For Low-Income Students, Alan Byrd

Dissertations

The rising cost of higher education has created substantial access and persistence barriers for low-income students. Consequently, gaps in educational attainment between low-income students and their middle- and high-income peers have continued to widen over the last few decades. Colleges and universities have taken notice of these growing disparities, and several institutions have responded by developing need-based financial aid programs to close unmet need gaps for Pell Grant recipients. These last-dollar financial aid programs have opened doors for more low-income students to attend selective institutions, but it is unclear how these programs will influence their persistence and completion rates. The …

A Black African Teacher’S Experiences In America: Examining The Lived Experiences Of A Black African Teacher Working In A Midwestern Public School, Valentine Malumbila

Dissertations

Using sociocultural theoretical approach, intersectionality of race, Critical Race Theory, and Bakhtin’s authoritative and persuasive discourse as a theoretical framework, this study explores the various diversities that I encountered as a Black African working and living in America. The diversity that I, like many other Black African immigrants in America, suffer results from culture shock due to lack of culture capital to comprehend and make sense of my surroundings. The lack of culture capital left me exposed to me some degrees of ethnic profiling, isolation and loneliness, and grieving due to loss of family and things that mattered the most …

The Influence Of Social Capital On Community Sustainability In Meacham Park, Missouri During 1996 -1999, Sheila Green-Samuels

Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of social capital on the phenomenon of community sustainability in Meacham Park Missouri, a Black neighborhood located in south St. Louis county. It is believed that social capital influences the collective action needed to create structures which lead to economic growth essential to community sustainability (Farrell, 2007, Ginwright, 2015; Putnam, 1993). The core idea of Robert Putnam’s social capital theory is there is value in social networks (Putnam, 2000, 1993). Examined were experiences of current and past residents of Meacham Park using social capital constructs to analyze the significance …

An Exploration Of Trust In Community Leadership Contexts, Richard Hudanick, Kimberlie M. Straatmann, Michael Miller, Andrea Harper, Joshua White

Dissertations

This qualitative exploratory study of effective community engagement process examines community leader’s perceptions of their experiences and the role fostering and building trust plays in producing sustainable change in a Midwestern regional context. The purpose of this study was to explore how trust interacts with asset-based thinking and social learning experiences, including trauma-informed awareness, meaning-making, and empathy, to support community engagement efforts. The research team interviewed 26 individuals who were selected via purposive sampling. Study participants were active in their communities and practitioners in their respective professions. The study identified five overarching themes that emerged from participant interviews, including themes …

The Heritage Leadership Process: Exploring Meaning Making And Social Emotional Competencies In Heritage Interpretation And Education For Sustainability, Lynn Cartmell, Tonia Herndon, Thomas Moffatt, Katy Mike Smaistrla Lampe

Dissertations

This study explores qualities identified as being critical to leadership work in heritage fields as identified by established leaders in heritage work. It also establishes a foundational definition of the term heritage leadership. After reviewing existing data to identify significant questions related to heritage leadership, the research team interviewed leaders in HIn and Education for Sustainability with a specific focus on leadership, meaning making, and social emotional competencies as guiding constructs in heritage leadership. A proposed definition of the term heritage leadership resulted: Heritage leaders aspire to serve others and to create meaningful connections to shared natural and cultural heritage …

Curriculum Analysis: Hardin Middle School Math, Michael Zitzer

Educational Specialist Scholarly Papers

The City of St. Charles School District, particularly Hardin Middle School (HMS), has routinely been outperformed by its St. Charles County counterparts in math. Consequently, it is necessary to evaluate curriculum development, implementation, and resources to begin to determine the causal factors of low performance. If HMS’ curriculum is not effectively facilitating high quality instruction, it could be a leading factor in their low performance. To determine whether HMS’ curriculum is impacting student achievement the research will conduct an analysis of both the written and implemented (textbook) curriculum. The analysis will be designed to determine whether the district’s current curriculum …

An Examination Of Disingenuous Deeds By St. Louis Public Schools 1945-1983, Michael Brown

Dissertations

The Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) St. Louis, Missouri, operated a de facto segregated school system for three decades after the United States Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education. National and local media outlets celebrated St. Louis Public Schools for their desegregation plan in response to the 1954 United States Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision. However, the counter narrative to media celebration is that the St. Louis Public Schools system practiced de facto segregation. In reality the St. Louis school district officials protected school segregation for half a century. In this research, I will …

Using African Cultural And Liberating Concepts, Sean Nichols

Dissertations

Abstract The purpose of this autoethnography is to explore the impact on learning for a delineated cultural and ethnographic student population when the instructional process is interwoven with a plethora of student-reflective cultural and ethnic information and knowledge gained through the process of in plethora of knowledge and valuable information of retelling rich stories of students, parents, teachers, and stakeholders conveyed from an emancipatory perspective. I believe that these stories can assist in improving the educational conditions of children of African descent in the United States and the diaspora. Throughout my life, I have wondered about the absence of my …

From Midterms To Naptime: An Autoethnography Of The Affects Of Intersectionality Of An African American Single Parent College Student, Jovon Willis

Dissertations

Abstract

According to United States Census (2016), Women in female-headed households with no spouse experienced higher rates of poverty (35.6 percent) than women in married-couple families (6.6 percent) and men in male-headed households. Having an education would significantly increase their chances of obtaining suitable employment which would also grant them income and benefits that could improve the overall quality of life for their families.

Today women are the majority on college campuses. According to The United States Census Bureau (2011), women make up 56% of college enrollment. Though the percentage of women attending college is increasing, the challenges that they …