Education Commons^™

Examining Systemic And Dispositional Factors Impacting Historically Disenfranchised Schools Across North Carolina, Raketa Ouedraogo-Thomas

Dissertations

This mixed method sequential explanatory study provided analysis of North Carolina (NC) school leaders’ dispositions in eliminating opportunity gaps, outlined in NC’s strategic plan. The study’s quantitative phase used descriptive and correlation analysis of eight Likert subscales around four tenets of transformative leadership (Shields, 2011) and aspects of critical race theory (Bell, 1992; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 2006) to understand systemic inequities and leadership attitudes.

The qualitative phase comprised three analyses of education leadership dispositions and systemic factors in NC schools. The first analysis of State Board of Education meeting minutes from 2018–2023 quantified and analyzed utterances of racism …

The Permanence Of Racism In Tennessee Public Schools, Jarral Yokley

Dissertations

The qualitative case study exposed the permanence of racism beginning in the antebellum public schools of Nashville and continued in the current actions in the Tennessee legislature with the expulsion of two Black male legislators. Critical race theory is used as the main descriptor for the actions of White politicians and legislators in Tennessee who continue the oppressive treatment of Black people in the state of Tennessee.

White members of the Tennessee legislature have attempted to strategically continue white supremacy in their decision to display a depiction of one of the most deplorable, racists in the history of the state …

Testimonios Of Latinas In The Federal Government Senior Executive Service: Honoring Women Who Excel In Public Service, Amarylis Lopez

Theses & Dissertations

The Senior Executive Service (SES) is the highest tier of executive management and leadership in the federal government. The Latino/a population has significantly increased in the past three decades with no corresponding increase in the federal workforce and the number of Latinos/as serving in the SES remains low. As Latinos/as in the SES are largely underrepresented, their ability to influence federal policies is significantly undermined. The purpose of this study is to explore the testimonios (testimonies) of Latinas in the SES to better understand their experiences while navigating entry into the SES and maintaining their respective positions.

This study used …

Teaching White Privilege At A Southern University: A Multi-Method Approach, Morgan Browning

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fueled by individual and systemic prejudices, racism continuously cycles through American society. Eliminating racism begins with education and awareness on all societal levels. Denying the existence of privilege, specifically White privilege, allows people to ignore racial inequalities and aids in the perpetuation of injustice. This study focused on educating students at a southern university about privilege, oppression, racism, and discrimination with the goal of contributing to a less racist campus. A similar program developed and implemented in a previous study by the researcher was adapted for online modules. These four online modules consisted of presentations, activities, videos, speakers, and reflective …

Healing Racial Injustice With Mindfulness Research, Training, & Practice, Danielle "Danae" Laura

Mindfulness Studies Theses

This thesis offers a collection of authors and studies in support of improved research, training, and practice connecting mindfulness with racial justice through intergroup applications. The paper identifies barriers at work (e.g., colorblindness, spiritual bypass, white fragility, and implicit bias) in contemplative science, Western Buddhist communities, and secular mindfulness centers, which block the sizeable contributions possible in studying the intergroup application of mindfulness practice—specifically Lovingkindness Meditation, among others—when used as an intervention with anti-racist aims. Through secondary qualitative research, I reviewed six key works from Black authors on mindfulness and race, as well as six sample studies on the prosocial …

The White Ally Experience: A Look Into The Impacts Of Being A White Ally, Kristen Maclin

Masters Theses

If an ally knew what they would experience, would they be more willing to stand up? Racism, institutional racism, racial bias, discrimination, and microaggressions have existed in our country since its inception. One way to work to overcome these is by growing allyship and having allies who are willing to speak up and stand beside marginalized groups. This research study addressed what allyship means, the byproducts of racist structures that allies have encountered, ally burnout, and ways to overcome burnout. These were researched through surveys from BIPOCs, named allies, and my school colleague populations. My research found that many White …

But What Can I Do? Engaging White Institutional Agents In Anti-Racist Reflection And Practice, Allie Ross

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

College students continue to become more racially diverse. Despite this, some students of color do not achieve a sense of belonging on their campuses, and whites continue to be overrepresented as educators and administration in higher education. It is critical for white staff and faculty to examine their roles in upholding systemic racism in their institutions. This study investigated how white faculty and student affairs staff, including myself, engage in our own racial identity development and subsequently engage in anti-racist action in our professional roles. Recommendations are provided for how white educators can perform self-work to identify blind spots, how …

Confronting And Dismantling Whiteness In Higher Education: A Grassroots Approach, Winnie Needham

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate how an Educational Studies department in a small, Midwestern liberal arts college might confront and dismantle whiteness in curricular, pedagogical, and policy choices. Utilizing a critical participatory action research design, five higher education faculty engaged in a critical conversation inquiry group (Schieble et al., 2020) to develop their critical literacy (Rogers and Mosley, 2014). This study was designed to answer the following questions: How do faculty within an Educational Studies department think about their racial identities and the relevance of racial identity to the program, the institution, and higher education? …

Ethical And Equitable Psychological Assessment Of Black Youth In Chicago Public Schools: A Coaching Model For Cps School Psychologists, Haley Biddanda

School of Education Capstone Projects

This capstone seeks to examine multiple factors that affect Black youth in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) during the psychological evaluation process, and subsequently develops a coaching model for CPS school psychologists to provide more ethical and equitable psychological evaluations for Black youth. An analysis of the system of CPS finds that Black students are more likely to receive special education services and be placed within restrictive settings in special education than their white peers. Despite this, CPS school psychologists receive no training specific to evaluating or working with Black youth. A review of the literature reveals that there are multiple …

Mask Off: Students’ Of Color Traumatic Experiences In K-12 Education And Why Historically Black Colleges And Universities Make A Difference, Diane Courington

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of 11 participants who had four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The theoretical frameworks guiding this study are Culturally Responsive Teaching (Crt) (Hammond 2014; Gay 2000), Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Crenshaw, 1988; Ansley, 1988), and Abolitionist teaching (Love, 2019). This study's data collection is based on semi-structured and conversational interviews via Microsoft Teams with Students of Color (SOC) who graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and had an ACEs score over 4. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include one or more events such as growing up in a household with an …