Subversive Self-Care: Black Women Faculty And The (Im)Possibilities Of Healing In Higher Education, Hermenia Butler

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

In the backdrop of pervasive violence and oppression against Black women in higher education, Black women faculty (BWF) at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) have endured relentless race and gender discrimination for decades. This long-standing injustice has spurred an examination of the healing practices of four BWF working at PWIs through the sharing of their stories. This research study is guided by two central questions: (a) What are the racialized lived experiences of BWF at PWIs? And (b) What are the (im)possibilities of (racial) healing in higher education? The study is grounded in the theoretical framework of Black Feminist Thought, providing …

A Post Pandemic Analysis Of Covid-19 And The Impact On Mental Health Of High School Student-Athletes—Today, More Than Ever Minds Matter, Pastora Hernandez Barbee

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The cancellation of sporting opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic caused many student-athletes to feel deprived of the only outlet they had, which held a significant component of their personal and athletic identities (Grubic et al. 2021). This study aimed to answer the following research question: What are the experiences of high school student-athletes in a Pacific Northwest school district with access and support for holistic wellness in a post-pandemic COVID-19 school environment? The research methodology used was the wellness theory framework (Adams, Bezner, & Steinhardt, 1997). A total of seven student-athletes participated in the study through in-depth interviews. From the …

Creating And Maintaining High-Quality Educational Spaces For Black Children: Challenges And Strategies, Darius B. Mensah

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Public education in the United States offers disparate outcomes that negatively impact Black children. Leaders who go against the norms and create spaces where Black children thrive face professional and personal challenges. Yet educators still do this work, employing strategies to protect their work and themselves. This study explores how educational leaders describe their experiences in creating and sustaining high-quality educational environments for Black students through the lens of Critical Race Theory. Nine participants, including the author, describe their backgrounds, their entry into the field of education, their professional and personal challenges, and the strategies they have used to persist …

The One Drop Rule While Being A Black Indigenous Woman, Ada Mcdaniel

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The process of sharing my story will be from my Black Indigenous mindset in which my character has been formed over the last 63 years. It has not been a pleasant journey being part of two worlds, the red and black, both being led by the colonizing rulings, but there has never been a dull moment. I have learned that I am from the best of two worlds and I am willing to share those experiences through my trials, and tribulations, and from the guidance my ancestors from both worlds have tasked me with.

Off The Rez: Witnessing Indigenous Knowledges Through Social Media, Deborah Hales

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The term “Off the Rez” is used, in the title, to mean research that is not done on a reservation or in urban areas. This study aims to discover if social media can be used as an innovative option for non-Indigenous allies to conduct respectful research. The study research questions were, (1) can social media be used as a research tool, to witness Indigenous Knowledges? (2) Can social media be used as research, by non-Indigenous research allies, to have the least impact on Indigenous communities?

This research was conducted using social media, with selected Indigenous participants who were 18, identified …

Preparing The Future, Healing The Past, & Being In The Moment With Teachers As They Indigenize The Way They Teach, Ramona Halcomb

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

This research study will interview participants from the first cohort of the Indigenizing Pedagogy Institute at the University of Washington Tacoma. The current educational system is failing to adequately serve American Indian/Alaska Native Students' Educational needs. Education creates knowledge, develops our political and civic goals, and systemically influences socialization and how we see ourselves and others; it determines our economic future and well-being. We must modify our pedagogy if we are to meet the needs of American Indian/Alaska Native Students.

Transforming Learning Spaces: Decentering Whiteness To Dream Of A Liberatory Education, Kimberly Booker

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The educational system in the United States claims to be a neutral system in which each child has equal opportunity to learn. Rather, it is a system that is constructed from a white epistemology (Ladson-Billings, 1998) that teaches a white worldview (Sleeter & Stillman, 2005) while simultaneously disregarding epistemologies, including knowledge bases, from Communities of Color. This dissonance creates dehumanizing and harmful experiences for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who are made to participate in an educational system that denies their worldview and way of being. The study is grounded in Critical Race Theory to acknowledge the permanence of …

We Are Stronger Together: Faculty Reflections On Competency-Based High School Completion For Adults In Washington State, Elizabeth J. Flanagan

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Situated in Washington State during the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic, this qualitative, insider-practitioner study examined the instructional context of four instructors engaged in a competency-based, high school completion for adults faculty praxis on community and technical college campuses through a state-supported program called High School+ (HS+). Guided by three areas of inquiry, this research sought to (1) explore how HS+ faculty describe their instructional praxis in the context of personal identity; (2) probe the cultural, structural, and administrative challenges HS+ faculty face when enacting competency-based instruction on community and technical college campuses oriented toward seat-time models of instruction; …

Educational Sovereignty: Creating Community By Ensuring Belonging, Merisa K. Jones

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The purpose of this research is to look at how we can use the education system as a tool to restore tribal identity and create belonging. To successfully see this work through the Lummi Nation, I will have to look at ways to challenge the formalized Western Education System and acknowledge its impacts on identity development. Pre-contact, the Lummi people had education systems in place that ensured the transmission of sacred knowledge, the learning took place within the house, and it was the family's responsibility to ensure the children grew up knowing the family values. The house of learning was …

Indigenizing Education: Universal Design For Learning And Indigenous Leadership Frameworks, Jennifer Vasilez

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Abstract

This study seeks to determine if Universal Design for Learning could serve as a culturally sustaining classroom framework for supporting Indigenous students in classroom settings. It also shares the perceived proficiency of Indigenous parents by those serving in a caregiver role for Indigenous youth, as well as the perceived potential of specific elements of Universal Design for Learning in supporting their students. As an Indigenous woman, I recognize the importance of asking Indigenous families if this strategy is worthy of further research, before conducting research into the efficacy of Universal Design for Learning in this way. This research project …

Indigenous-Based Mindful Activities For Students With Test Anxiety, Amy Maharaj

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

College life for students can be stressful, with stress and anxiety being one of the biggest impacts on a student’s academic performance; with test anxiety being one of the biggest culprits in causing stress and anxiety among college students. One of the ways that students can help ease test anxiety is through mindful practices. As many colleges and universities increase their availability to provide mindfulness resources – there seems to be a lack of mindfulness resources for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students. The research study for this dissertation utilized Indigenous-based mindful practices from Indigenous and South Asian …

Women With Student Loans: Relational Impacts On Self, Family, And Work, Annie Pocklington

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the relational impact that student loans have on the lives of women across Washington state, with specific attention to their parents, partners, children, and workplaces. This research utilizes Feminist Relational Work as a theoretical framework, which combines feminist theory and Zelizer’s notion of relational work to attend to the gendered dynamic that Zelizer’s relational work does not specifically name. Participants in this study named sexism as a constant in their lives, whether within family dynamics growing up, throughout the college going process, or in professional post-college spaces that a degree granted them access to. The …

“Tienes Que Ser Bien Educada”: A Call For Art, Reconciliation, And Justice In Education, Eileen Jimenez

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Settler colonialism and colonized methodologies have created systems and power dynamics that continue to allow the holders of power and decision makers to deem what is ethical and what is appropriate as it concerns research of others, but in particular, Indigenous peoples. The voices that are given the most visibility in research are those who conduct and produce research through the paradigm of Western education and with standards of Western research. Settler colonialism has warped the purpose and the responsibility of educators. This study created space for understanding about our collective responsibility in teaching, learning and education for the community …

Fostering Communities For Bipoc Students In Higher Education Spaces: The Impacts Of Targeted Student Supports Services On Racially Hostile Campuses, Kenderick Wilson

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Racially hostile campuses often have significantly different retention rates based on students’ race and ethnicity. Existing literature suggests that a better understanding of the negative impacts of a racially hostile campus climate at public universities can help to improve college outcomes for BIPOC students. BIPOC students may benefit from well-designed systems of support to bolster their retention rates, including a focus on targeting specific populations of students. This study was designed to improve understanding of the impacts of such targeted student supports within a racially hostile campus climate, examining the impact on first year retention rates of BIPOC students at …

Latinx Students' Sense Of Belonging In A Comprehensive Suburban High School, Samantha Ketover

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Sense of belonging (SOB) is of critical importance to students as it impacts multiple aspects of a student’s life (Penergast et al, 2018). The need to belong is a fundamental human need (Maslow, 1954). A student’s SOB can be measured by the foundational Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale (Goodenow, 1993). SOB is of particular importance for students of color (SOC). When SOB is negatively impacted in SOC this can cause declines in motivation and achievement (Penergast et al, 2018). The first three goals of this dissertation were quantitative. First, there was a calculation of the levels of the …

Diversity In Community College Registered Nursing Education, Sergio Hernández Del Cid

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The United States is currently facing a shortage of trained professionals in many fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Nursing (Allen-Ramdial & Campbell, 2014; Georgetown University, 2020). As a result, current U.S. nursing student demographics do not mirror the populations they serve (Gooden, Porter, Gonzalez, & Mims, 2001). Research has shown the positive impact a diverse nursing staff has on patient care (Gooden, Porter, Gonzalez, & Mims, 2001). Representative care and cultural awareness translate to better patient outcomes especially for patients from marginalized and underrepresented communities (Woods-Giscombe, Rowsey, Kneipp, Lackey, & Bravo, 2019). Community colleges play a critical role …

Examining Strategies That Promote Success For Adult Basic Education Students: A Professional Development Seminar For Educators, Andrew Brottlund

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

ABE writing courses have historically helped students develop White, westernized cultural capital. Yet they often fail to acknowledge community cultural wealth that students bring with them to the classroom or build upon these strengths that students possess, and this has a negative impact on student persistence. This dissertation argues that to increase retention and persistence, ABE writing instructors must look at how curriculum can center a diverse range of identities and better reflect the lived experiences of all their students. To address this problem of practice, this dissertation is divided into three parts. First, it explores ABE legislation and critiques …

Recommendations For Creating Inclusive Classroom Andragogy: Perspectives Of Graduate Students With Learning Disabilities, Marcee Boggs

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Guided by principles of Disability Critical Race Theory (2013) and Universal Instructional Design (2006), the purpose of this study is to examine the structural inequalities in higher education that marginalize students with disabilities, identify the unique needs of graduate students with learning disabilities, and identify the ideal classroom characteristics that would reduce or eliminate the need for self-disclosure and accommodations. This phenomenological qualitative research study focuses on the voices of fourteen graduate students with self-identified learning disabilities to highlight the unique needs of graduate students and the areas for improvement. Participants shared their reason for self-disclosing and seeking accommodations, or …

Covid-19 School Closures: Professional And Personal Impacts On Building Principals, Paula R. Dawson, Alicia M. Nosworthy

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a global impact resulting in an altered reality for educational systems around the world. The mandate by the governor of Washington State to close all school buildings produced immediate and significant impacts to the educational systems throughout the state, which resulted in professional and personal challenges for building leaders. The researchers, two school administrators at different levels in separate districts, had a unique “front row seat” to the challenges being faced by educators in the region and across the state. Based on this positionality and the current reality, the overarching question of this study focused …

Asian American Community College Presidents: Their Leadership Practices, Insights, And Attributes, Michael Pham

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Asian Americans continue to be underrepresented as university and college presidents, despite the significant growth in population as well as in the number of Asian American college students. The purpose of this study was to examine the personal experiences, including leadership practices, insights, and attributes, of five Asian American community college presidents. The intent was to identify potential factors contributing to the underrepresentation problem. Additionally, supplemental data were collected from five trustees to enhance the overall quality of the study. Adaptive leadership theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Narrative inquiry was used as the methodology. Interviews …

Examining Social Capital And Whiteness In A University Community Engagement Network, Bonnie Nelson

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

University place-based community engagement initiatives often draw upon diverse stakeholders and organizations. However, these initiatives often uphold systems and structures rooted in Whiteness and oppression. Drawing from Critical Race Theory and social capital theory, this study examined Whiteness, network structure, value, and trust within the Seattle University Youth Initiative (SUYI) Network. The results suggested that the SUYI network had a moderate to high degree of value, where institutional partners were perceived as having significantly more value than nonprofit partners in the network. Additionally, the SUYI network was found to have a high degree of trust, where nonprofits were viewed as …

Still Just White-Framed: Continued Coloniality, Hispanic Serving Institutions, And Latin@/X Students, Ilda Guzman

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Abstract

Throughout the Pacific Northwest there are a total of 12 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) with an average Latin@/x undergraduate full-time enrollment rate of 33.7 percent. In order to be designated as HSIs, institutions of higher education must have an enrollment rate of 25 percent or more students who identify as Latin@/x. HSIs became recognized in the late 1980s when a small number of higher education institutions enrolled a large number of Latin@/x students, yet did not have the resources to successfully educate the students (Excelencia, 2019). Since then, HSIs have consistently and continuously risen in Latin@/x enrollments. To date, …

Equity By Design And Delivery Model In Online Learning: Educator And Student Perceptions And Behaviors As Leading Indicators Of Systemic Change, Miebeth Bustillo-Booth

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

The purpose of this study is to explore educator and student perceptions of and behaviors in the Equity by Design and Delivery (EDD) model and its online courses as leading indicators of systemic change. The EDD model is a pilot intervention to eliminate opportunity to learn gaps at the program level in a mid-sized northwestern college in the United States. It shifts instructional behavior from individual efforts to collective approaches to limit quality variances in online courses, theorized to be a major contributor of missed opportunities to learn at high levels, by developing and delivering reliable quality courses based on …

Improving Homeless Student Identification In An Urban High School, Donald Crider

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Homelessness has a profound effect on the education of many students; a majority of whom do not seek support services that could be of benefit to them. The exacerbation of emotional pressures on homeless students, those already overburdened by external stressors, impacts the educational environment. This study theorized that schools perpetuate homeless stereotypes and racial disparity, increasing homeless students' discomfort in school. An intersectional relationship of these pressures decreased a student's willingness to self-disclose their homeless status. This study conducted interviews with 15 students experiencing homelessness to document why students would avoid seeking school-based support. This research aimed to increase …

Disrupting Racial Segregation In Special Education: An Evaluability Assessment Of Washington State’S Inclusionary Practices Project, Tania May

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Despite disability advocacy, case law, and legislative attempts to regulate equity in placement, students of color with disabilities are removed from general education settings at higher rates than peers. Ongoing advocacy to extend legal protections and utilize dispute resolution procedures contributed to special education’s reputation for being litigious. This study included a recent review of literature on landmark education cases and litigation using a symbolic organization framework to analyze special education placement procedures, disputes, and decisions. The theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory and Dis/ability Critical Race Studies offered a critique of special education placement and outcomes and rebutted symbolic …

Mechanisms Of Biases And Cultural Literacy In International Language Education: One Such Story To Carry, Yukari Birkett

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Despite equity and inclusion initiatives, the English based colonial model has permeated the kindergarten to college systems, teaching/learning, theories and methods, the perception of second language acquisition, multiculturalism, and language education (Knowles et al., 2015; Macedo, 2019; Phillips & Abbot, 2011; Battiste, 2013). Additionally, cognitive neuroscientific discoveries of the complexity of language learning, emotional intelligence, and cultural literacy systematically failed to reach educators. Few studies have focused on what factors impact on cultural biases of foreign language learners, or what factors in learning facilitate the dismantling of durable biases. What are the hidden agendas for teaching and learning foreign languages? …

Institutional Accreditation: Making The Process More Efficient, Effective, And Meaningful To Colleges And Universities, Cynthia J. Requa

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Institutional accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process that is overseen through the seven institutional accreditors governed by the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of accreditation is to ensure institutional quality standards are being met by colleges and universities. The purpose of this study was to identify how the accreditation process could be improved with foci on efficiency, effectiveness, and more meaningful impact to the institutions. Drawing on Heifetz et al.’s (2009) theory of adaptive leadership, Kotter’s (2012) accelerators and the integrated planning principles of Stephens (2017) and Immordino et al., (2016), this study employed grounded theory to discover the …

University Staff: Indigenous Sovereignty And Justice Online, Star Berry

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

United States (U.S.) public research universities generally deliver problematic diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts that erase Indigenous, Transgender, and Disabled staff through online formats and representations. This qualitative explanatory study describes the DEI common language as one of compliance, erasure, and management through a review of 17 high and very high research universities as defined by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education®. Of these universities, seven are also land grant universities. The frameworks applied include Indigenous Feminist Theory (Waterman, 2018) and Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991). The results from this review demonstrate universities’ differing institutional commitments to Indigenous, Transgender, …

Where Did My Black Folk Go? The Exclusion Of Black Males From American K-12 Classrooms, Conrad Webster

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Few studies have sought to understand the lived experiences of Black males being excluded from K-12 classrooms. This qualitative study explored the punitive tools and approaches that have removed Black males from American K-12 classrooms, hindering their academic achievement and disproportionately sending Black males onto a one-way path to prison. This study centered the voices of racialized Black males as a way to clarify the lived experiences of unequal interactions within the school to prison pipeline. Considering the hyper-surveillance of Black males in schools and the normalization of school resource officers to criminalize Black males, too little research centers on …

Professional Development And Self-Efficacy: Their Impact On The Advancement Of Latinas In Higher Education Leadership, Olga Torres Inglebritson

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Research has demonstrated that Latinas are advancing their education (Lopez & Gonzalez-Barrera, 2014), yet the number of Latinas in leadership positions at higher education institutions is not significantly increasing (Muñoz, 2010; Montas-Hunter, 2012). There are many ways in which individuals advance in their careers. For Latinas, their intersectional identities, particularly regarding their race, ethnicity, and gender, influence this process and their experiences. The personal career experiences of Latinas at higher education institutions has not fully been explored. Focusing on the Latina experiences in higher education is important for several reasons. First, to increase the number of Latinas in higher education …