Education Commons^™

Culturally Responsive School Leadership Agility: A Journey Through Critical Self-Reflection, Deborah Mckelvey Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how school leaders can differentiate their approach using a self-reporting psychometric instrument called the Emergenetics® Profile when engaged in critical self-reflection. Using a multiple case study approach, three urban school leaders engaged in the deconstructing and reconstructing of knowledge frameworks specific to deficit thinking. The Emergenetics Profile served as a lens to critically self-reflect in order to differentiate their approach to the disrupt deficit thinking practices in their schools (Browning 2007; Khalifa, 2018; Shields, 2018). This study integrated these insights from critical self-reflection and the awareness gained by school leaders through their Emergenetics preferences to change their …

Exploring The Impact Of Leadership Values And Practices To Support Equity And Social Justice In An Urban School, Susan-Marie Farmen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the leadership values and practices of a principal in a sixth through twelfth-grade school in the Rocky Mountain West to determine how leadership values and practices support the implementation of equitable and socially just practices in the school. Five key themes emerged: (a) equity as a Black/non-Black construct; (b) a lack of knowledge and awareness of the historical contexts of marginalized populations; (c) moral courage for all members of the school; (d) equity as an initiative or program; (e) resistance to deep equity work. From these themes, I devise three recommendations to support substantial and …

Mathematics In A Social Justice World: A Statistical Reasoning Unit Investigating Modern-Day School Segregation, Zoe Alberts

Honors Projects

It is no secret that our daily lives are full of mathematical concepts and skills. Taking it one step further, many social justice issues are rooted in mathematical research and data. This idea should be the center of the mathematics classroom. According to Crystal Watson, a math teacher from Cincinnati City Schools District, we need to incorporate these social issues into the classroom because the “lack of opportunity to explore, learn, and master mathematical concepts keep out students, families, and communities oppressed (Watson, 2020)”. This is a fully functional, ready to use, digital mini unit over 7th grade statistical reasoning …

Hitting The Trail: An Exploration Of An Outdoor Educational Experience At Intermountain West Junior High School, David N. Joy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Outdoor educational experiences are one of the ways that young people learn about and experience the benefits that are found in the outdoors. However, despite the benefits that outdoor educational experiences have to offer, many young people do not participate for one reason or another. These reasons are often rooted in issues of social injustice. This study adds to about how outdoor educational experiences effect the perceptions of and attitudes toward the outdoors and learning in the outdoors, as well as what may be keeping so many people from participating in these experiences. One junior high school in the intermountain …

Black Teachers’ Collective Wisdom As Social Justice Pedagogy: A Black Feminist Narrative Analysis, Jacqueline Cora Boone

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

In this age, 21st century, where social issues surrounding race and gender are impassioned and escalating, black feminists and Black Feminist Theory are leading the charge in bringing salience through activism and engagement. Doing post structural qualitative research aims to dismantle a myth of scientific knowledge that emphasizes triangulation and transferability of research with the use of multiple representations of experience. This research investigates critical issues in qualitative research, specifically the ontological challenge that researchers commonly encountered in depicting experience and social reality. The turn to experience and lived stories has expanded the modes of qualitative research by hearing marginalized …

Enhancing Support For Student Mental Health And Wellbeing Through Service Renewal At A Canadian College, Sterling Crowe

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

As the postsecondary education sector has evolved toward mass education, the proportion of students studying at postsecondary institutions experiencing mental health and wellness-related challenges has continued to rise. This continued growth in prevalence and severity of mental health and wellness conditions impacting students in the postsecondary sector has occurred without similar growth in resourcing for departments responsible for supporting these students in successfully navigating their learning environments. These realities require that institutions begin developing strategies to address this gap. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) presents a possible solution to enhance the capacity of a large urban College in Canada to …

Full-Service Community School Intervention: Case Study Of Somali Parent-School Engagement Within A Rural Midwestern School District, Anne Leland

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

Current research has recognized considerable benefits of parent and family engagement with their children’s schools. However, research shows many systemic and individual barriers to effective parent and family engagement. Located in a rural Minnesota setting, Faribault Public Schools (FPS) has a large population of Somali refugee parents with limited English proficiency. Based on data from FPS, children from these families are falling behind in school. The FPS system has acknowledged the need to enhance engagement with these families to more effectively support their children’s success in school.

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, qualitative case study was to characterize Somali …

A Public Health Examination Of The Discipline Gap, Karishma Furtado

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Education is often positioned as the great equalizer in the United Statesѡ cure all for many social ills, from poverty, to family instability, to exposure to violence. However, disadvantaged students tend, on average, to get a lower quality education. One example of a barrier that impedes educational equity is the discipline gap, or the disproportionate rate of exclusionary discipline like suspension and expulsion experienced by students with disabilities and those from historically disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. Removing a student from class for punitive reasons puts them at greater risk of academic disengagement, a diminished sense of belonging and …

The Impact Of A Social Justice-Oriented Mindfulness Practice On The Self-Efficacy Of An Early Childhood Montessori Teacher, Quiana Myers-Vandrovec

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this action research was to explore how a social justice-oriented mindfulness practice would impact the self-efficacy of an early childhood educator. This self-study, with the researcher as the sole participant, took place over a six-week period while the researcher was working in a private Montessori school in the Northeastern United States in a classroom of 20 students aged 3-5. The intervention included breathwork; both walking and seated meditation paired with articles, essays, interviews, and poetry relevant to social justice; meditation; and mindfulness. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through reflective journaling, a record of feelings scale, an …

Queering The Curriculum: Establishing Equity For Lgbtqia Students And Educators In Michigan, Miranda Findlay

All NMU Master's Theses

This project examines the state of Michigan’s efforts in creating an equitable learning and working environment for LGBTQIA K-12 students and educators, explicitly focusing on 11^th and 12^th grade English Language Arts (ELA) standards. In the first chapter, I evaluate the relationship between queer theory and pedagogy and illuminate the need to implement queer pedagogy in teaching K-12 ELA classes. The following chapter reviews the progressive state of California for its promotion of culturally responsive pedagogy and its inclusion of LGBTQIA topics in its K-12 curriculum. The third chapter analyzes Michigan legislature and policies to highlight gaps that …

Socially Just Artmaking: A Practitioner's Inquiry Of Passionate Teaching For Compassionate Action, Jaime Linn Brown

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The arts serve as a vehicle to activate imagination of students in developing a broaderunderstanding of injustice, its consequences, and the range of alternative possibilities (Bell &Desai, 2011). As more young artists engage in this dialogue, we must investigate how young people themselves make sense of and experience the transformative power of the arts (Dewhurst, 2014). Activist art can communicate ideas about individual and community experiences to a wider audience; it can make public that which has been ignored, silenced, or kept from public conscience (Dewhurst, 2014). Visual expression allows one to increase their understandings beyond the limitations of words …

Creating A Transformative Visual Art Curriculum, Alison M. Marchbanks

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the process of creating transformative learning experiences within a visual art curriculum that emphasizes individual reflection, creative expression, and community involvement. The strategies and philosophies discussed will facilitate student engagement with big ideas and complex messages that will inform their social consciousness beyond their formal school career. Examples of how these practices are being used in K-12 visual art settings are presented to provide an in-depth roadmap for implementing a community-based, social justice learning opportunity.

A Qualitative Study Into Teacher Instruction And Advocacy Of Social Justice In International Kindergarten To Grade 2 Classrooms, Victoria Elizabeth Atha

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative intrinsic case study examined how teachers instructed and advocated for social justice in the international Kindergarten to Grade 2 classroom. Social justice is an important topic for discussion and exploration for children of any age, yet the research revealed much of the focus on social justice in education was focused on older students, as some theorists felt younger children could not understand the complexities of the concept. Data were collected through focus groups, semistructured interviews, and the evaluation of values-based lesson plans. It was analyzed with the intent of gaining greater understanding of how teachers’ perspectives regarding social …

Inclusive Leadership Processes And Practices That Improve Educational Social Justice Outcomes For Manitoba’S Children In Care – An Exploratory Case Study, Regine Nuytten

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Grounded in a critical transformative paradigm, this case study examined how Manitoba public school principals worked to support social justice goals in education for Manitoba’s children in care. A qualitative case study methodology was used to investigate how inclusive school principals develop processes and practices to work towards improved social justice outcomes for children in care. Social justice outcomes and inclusive leadership, as it is operationalized through processes and practices in schools, comprised the study’s conceptual framework. Data were collected using document analysis of government documents, semi-structured interviews with principals/vice principals from six Winnipeg school districts, and focus groups with …

Making The Journey Personal: A Self-Study Of The Intersections Of Curriculum, Practice, And Identity, Patricia J. Tinsman-Schaffer

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The Obama's unveiled their official portraits for the National Portrait Gallery in 2018, forever changing the presidential tone by being the first portraits of Black Americans in these roles but also because they selected two Black artists to depict them, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald. As a White woman, secondary school art educator of diverse students, I witnessed this event as a significant moment in time. Discussing what was immediately visible: portraiture, compositional formats, and use of pattern, but I was unsure how to connect the layered meanings of each portrait. As a veteran teacher, I had implemented different curricula …

Do You Hear Us? Amplifying Alternative Pathways For High School Pushouts Through Youth Participatory Action Research, Rob A. Duren

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) metaphor encapsulates and describes a set of legislative policies and educational practices that systematically funnel African American, Indigenous, and Latinx students from the classroom into the juvenile and criminal justice system at disparate rates. An emerging solution to address high school pushout and the STPP has been to develop Alternative Education Campuses (AECs). However, there is a current gap in the research that amplifies the counter narratives of students currently enrolled at an AEC, through their own words, using Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). Studies conducted with students who have been labeled “high-risk” are especially lacking. …

Beyond Language: Critical And Sustainable Sociocultural Competence In A Dual Language Program, Verónica González

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Despite the ideological controversies and political backlash that surround the field of bilingual education in the United States, current research indicates a growing interest in dual language (DL) programs—an additive bilingual education model. However, this growing interest has been accompanied by inequities in the implementation of DL programs that negatively affect minoritized students. One recommendation is for DL programs to center equity through sociocultural competence—the third goal of DL education (Howard et al., 2018). Through an analysis of administrator and teacher interviews, school documents, and field observations, this single case study examines educators’ ideologies and practices in regards to sociocultural …

My Life Long Dream: My Teaching And Educational Journey, Karla Torres Hernandez

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This ethnography follows my journey teaching kindergarten in the Ontario/Montclair neighborhood in San Bernardino. Its purpose is to understand the macro and micro levels of the community to inform my teaching practices and support my students and families. On a micro-level, I conducted case studies on three specific students. Data analysis of in-home interviews, personal interactions, and assessments allowed me to create action plans to best support these students’ academic, social, and emotional needs. On a macro level, I studied my students’ environments: community, school, and classroom. By analyzing whole class and individual student data and reflecting on my own …

Canadian Postsecondary Leaders’ Understanding And Promotion Of Social Justice And Educational Equity, Pamela Jacqueline Cawley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Canadian universities are educating an increasingly diverse student body and have a role in rectifying inequities and educating students to contribute to a democratic and inclusive society, but little is known about how mainstream leaders understand such leadership. The purpose of this study was to examine how mainstream Canadian postsecondary leaders in Canada describe and understand their leadership related to social justice and educational equity. Critical social theory and applied critical leadership theory guided this study. This basic qualitative study using semistructured interviews explored how 11 mainstream postsecondary leaders have understood and promoted social justice and educational equity. Data analysis …

Queering The University: Implementing A Systematic & Organizational Approach To Equity, Brian Moore

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Too often higher education educators take a lackadaisical approach to solutions surrounding negative queer and trans student experiences; however, educators hold an obligation to foster student success, retention, catalyze identity development, and maximize the human potential of queer and trans students. This master’s thesis develops a systematic and organizational approach to achieving an equitable campus for queer and trans student experience through a critical action research proposal. Utilizing my perspective as queer and trans educator and/or student, I will primarily use the philosophical lens of Friere, hooks, Foucault, and queer theory to support my philosophy of education. Theoretical frameworks from …

Enacting Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy In Diverse Secondary Classrooms: Teachers’ Perceptions, Preparation, Current Practices, And Challenges, Mariola Krol

Theses & Dissertations

Due to an increasingly diverse student population in U.S. public schools, there has been a pertinent need for teachers to enact culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) when educating children from racially and linguistically diverse backgrounds. CSP is an asset-based approach that uses the cultural capital of communities of color to guide curriculum development, classroom climates, instructional strategies, and relationships with students. Although much is known about CSP, less work has explored how teachers enact CSP in diverse classrooms and how their background knowledge, lived experiences, pre-service preparation, and in-service professional learning may facilitate this process. Therefore, this case study examines the …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Influence Of A Stem Career Planning Course And Perceived Stress On Career Search Self-Efficacy And Retention In Engineering Undergraduate Students, Autumn Randell

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated a) the influence of a STEM career planning course on undergraduate engineering students’ career search self-efficacy, b) the influence of perceived stress on building students’ career search self-efficacy, and c) the relationship career search self-efficacy had in predicting students’ odds of persistence in an engineering major. The researcher analyzed students’ week 1, week 6, and week 14 scores of career search self-efficacy and perceived stress. Data were collected from the Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 cohorts of a STEM career planning. As a result, the analysis included (N = 286) undergraduate engineering students. Repeated measures multilevel …

Exploring Appreciative Advising As An Equity Approach For African American Students: A Grounded Theory Study Of Academic Advisors At Predominantly White Institutions (Pwis), Valerie Harper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

EXPLORING APPRECIATIVE ADVISING AS AN EQUITY APPROACH FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY OF ACADEMIC ADVISORS AT PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS (PWIs)

By

Valerie J. Harper

October 28, 2019

Dissertation supervised by Professor Gretchen Givens Generett

African American matriculation into postsecondary education continues to rise, but degree conferral remains low (Hoston, Graves, & Fleming-Randle, 2010). Arguably, Harper and Hurtado’s (2007) research, as far back as 1992, stated black students and other students of color have dealt with alienation, isolation, and stereotyping at PWIs; this continues to persist today (Lee, 2018), which may interrupt the academic success of African …

Tensions, Dilemmas, And Radical Possibility In Democratizing Teacher Unions: Stories Of Two Social Justice Caucuses In New York City And Philadelphia, Chloe Asselin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the tensions, dilemmas, and radical possibilities faced by two social justice caucuses in democratizing their teacher unions: the Movement of Rank-and-File Educators (MORE) in New York City and the Caucus of Working Educators (WE) in Philadelphia. It asks: What radical possibilities and structural constraints are generated and/or illuminated by educator activists in MORE and WE? To frame the research, this dissertation examines the historical, political, economic, and social contexts in which the caucuses exist and the daily realities that they face; provides an overview of educational and union politics in New York City and Philadelphia; and analyzes …

Designing A New Resourcing Model For Rural Schools In Labrador, April Blake

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The motivation of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is rooted in attaining more equity and social justice for marginalized groups in rural, geographically isolated sections of Labrador. The focus of the change process within the social justice frame is the lack of resources in these rural schools. The broad base of the resourcing issue encompasses lack of rural staff, books, manipulatives, technology, games, funding, community supports, consumables and all other standard school accompaniments. Departmental funding for our schools is very limited, this is an extensive and significant issue in most rural schools in the area, and this OIP plans change …

Administrator Perceptions On Service Strengths And Challenges Regarding The Implementation Of Section 504 Services For Public Education Students In South Texas, Dora Diana Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

As part of their contemporary role as the campus instructional leader, administrators are currently managing special education matters previously managed by the school system’s directors of special education [(Boscardin, 2005; Patterson, Marshall, & Bowling, 2000) cited by Lynch, 2012]. School administrators must not only understand the legal requirements of Section 504, but they must understand how Section 504 services will influence their programs, decisions, facilities, and budgets (Trevino, 2001, p. 87). At a time of economic constriction and change, complying with the unfunded mandate of Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act presents a challenge to K-12 …

The Ethics Of Contracting For Education Within A Neoliberal Framework, Deej James

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

No matter how lightly you tread, you can not cross a beach without leaving footprints, nor without carrying a little sand away with you. Open systems theory states that an organization has permeable boundaries “dependant on its environment for survival and will go out of existence unless it is actively attended to” (Burke, 2011, p. 61), and it is with this consideration that the tenets of social justice are understood to be a responsibility of all entities, as “the public” is not a target group that can be somehow isolated so as to be impacted by only public administrators. Private …

Student Voice: How The Presence Of School-Wide Student Voice Initiatives At The Elementary Level Impact The School Community, Danielle O'Reilly

Education | Master's Theses

Although the presence of student voice in schools has diminished over the past few decades due to a nationwide focus on standardized testing and school accountability, recent student movements and a push for equity and engagement in school reform efforts have brought this topic back to the forefront. A large body of research shows that involving students in school decision-making increases their leadership skills and makes them feel more connected to their school community. Few studies, however, examined elementary-level student involvement and its impact on the school community. The purpose of this research was to examine how the presence of …

Cognitivism In School Psychologists’ Talk About Cultural Responsiveness: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Sujay Sabnis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although there is an increase in publications on the topic of cultural responsiveness in school psychology, the research literature does not interrogate the discourse around cultural responsiveness and the modes of practices it enables. Using a preexisting dataset featuring interviews with 15 school psychologists, I analyzed the discursive formations characterizing the talk about cultural responsiveness. Data analysis using the critical discursive psychology framework illuminated the presence of cognitivism in participant talk. Critical discourse analysis drawing on Foucauldian theory of power effects revealed the ways in which cognitivism both enabled and constrained the discursive production of ‘culture’ and ‘cultural responsiveness’. Culture …

Fostering Critical And Creative Thinking In The Elementary Social Studies Classroom: Teaching Social Justice Through The Lenses Of Power And Oppression And Site-Based Experiences, Julia R. Wilkins, Chelsea D. Witwer

Dissertations

This joint study in the elementary school social studies setting enacted the explicit intention of facilitating student understanding of social justice. The first study was conducted in a second grade classroom to assess how exploring historical neighborhoods in St. Louis impacted students’ understandings of diversity. Student writings, interviews, artwork, and adult interviews and surveys provided evidence of the impact the curriculum had on the school community and larger city. This study revealed that it is possible for young students to explore hard histories and present day social justice topics through the use of place-based learning and community partnerships. Their learning …