Education Commons^™

President's Message On Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Janet M. Riggs

Reports from the President’s Office

Last spring I announced that we would take time this year to focus some of our thinking and conversation on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion. There are many reasons for us to direct our efforts to this topic: the changing demographics in our society and the need to provide a welcoming environment to a diverse student body, faculty and staff; our responsibility to prepare students for living in diverse communities and working in diverse workplaces; and our desire to prepare citizens who will be sensitive to social injustices and motivated to right them. In addition, we cannot dismiss …

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer And A Four-Year-Old: Lessons For Leadership & Life, Connie Reimers-Hild

Connie I Reimers-Hild, PhD, CPC

Last week while I was in the shower, my four-year-old daughter, Raquel, walked into the bathroom and asked me an interesting question. “Mom, why doesn’t anyone like Rudolph’s shiny red nose?” My daughter was supposed to be in bed sleeping. I am 99% sure she was lying in bed reflecting on her day.

Many nights I have quietly checked on her before going to bed myself only to find her talking to herself while she makes vivid hand gestures and motions. On this particular evening, her talk and gestures must have focused on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. After thinking about …

Assessing Diverse Community College Students' Vocabulary Comprehension Through Context Construction, Andrea S. Salis

NERA Conference Proceedings 2012

Sixty-nine community college students completed a study which assessed their vocabulary comprehension based on their ability to define randomly selected Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) words and construct their own sentences that illustrated the meaning of the word. This research assessed students’ vocabulary comprehension through their ability to construct context. The information provided from this study demonstrates the variability of students’ vocabulary comprehension. The results of this repeated measures design, demonstrated that students mean scores were very low (5.67, 4.54, 5.54, and 5.91 out of a possible score of 50) for vocabulary definition and comprehension. This indicates that this was a …

The Embodiment Of Tolerance In Discourses And Practices Addressing Cultural Diversity In Schools, The Case Of Cyprus, Nicos Trimikliniotis, Corina Demetriou, Elena Papamichael

Nicos Trimikliniotis

The report examines the processes, methods and Practices of the Cypriot educational system as the

embodiment of tolerance in discourses and practices addressing cultural diversity in schools. These are

mediated by the perceptions of policy makers, the convictions of stakeholders involved in the processes and abilities of and tools made available to educationalists. In examining the nature of the educational system and particularly the way in which the system treats its minoritised individuals and groups, the philosophy which emerges is that of viewing diversity as a disadvantage and a deficiency that needs to be ‘treated’, against a backdrop of essentialising …

Beauty Of Diversity And The Problem Of Multiculturalism, Paul Fessler

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

A biblical view of diversity celebrates all of God's people from all different ethnic groups as the image-bearers of God.

The Awards Project: Promoting Good Practices In Award Selection, Betty Mayfield, Francis Su

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Every year the MAA honors many members of our community with a wide variety of prizes, awards, and certificates for excellence in teaching, writing, scholarship, and service (see maa.org/awards). The winners exemplify our ideals as an association; consequently, they are often viewed as role models and leaders. So it is important to ask: Do these awards, as a whole, reflect the outstanding contributions of the breadth of association membership?

Shifting Cultural Perspectives: Collaborative Learning For Preservice Teachers And Els, Susan Adams, Brooke Cisco

Susan Adams

Presentation at the 2012 Indiana Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (INTESOL) Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN, October 6, 2012.

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: Thinking Beyond Access, Janet M. Riggs

Reports from the President’s Office

Last spring I announced at a faculty meeting that a major theme for our campus this year would be diversity and inclusion. I’d like to add equity to that framework as well. This year I hope that we can develop a shared understanding of these topics and some goals to which we can aspire as a community.

Five years ago Gettysburg College established a set of four strategic directions to guide our planning and decision-making: Engagement, Distinction, Access, and Connection. At that time we described Access as our aspiration to “increase the diversity of the student body and create a …

Little Liberals: A Child-Centred Approach To The Inculcation Of Values, Alison M. Braley-Rattai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In a liberal-democracy, the proper role of parents and of the state in forming children’s beliefs involves several separate but interrelated debates: These concern the conceptual space that children occupy within liberal theory, the basis of the ‘control rights’ adults are said to have over children, and the tension between the values of autonomy and diversity, which are foundational values for a liberal-democracy. To clarify these debates, competing paradigms are identified in political theories that address them: A dual-interest view and a child-centred view. The former ‘balances’ the interests that parents and children have in the child-rearing relationship, and the …

(Un)Packing Your Backpack: Educational Philosophy, Positionality, And Pedagogical Praxis, Yvette Prinsloo Franklin

Doctoral Dissertations

In this philosophical research project, the author examines the question: How can the case be made that there is an imperative need to change the trajectory of current efforts to reduce “achievement gaps” in the United States and (re)vision a transformation of our school settings through conscious-raising sensitivity regarding issues of equity towards equality amongst educators that harnesses the work of philosophy of education scholars? She engages the reader in a theoretical hike through a philosophical argument for attending to philosophical theories of education, extending the work of Jane Roland Martin regarding sensitivity and drawing heavily on the scholarship of …

Purdue University's Foundations Of Excellence Final Report: A Roadmap For Excellent Beginnings, Office Of The Provost, Purdue University

Office of the Provost Publications and Reports

This report lays the groundwork for a new campus culture focused on excellent, intentional, and integrated curricular and co-curricular efforts for all students, according to their specific needs, so that they can achieve academic and personal success. In addition, it provides a blueprint for coordinating assessment and dissemination of findings to foster continuous improvement among the University’s overall student success efforts.

Leadership Dispositions And Skills For Ethnically Diverse Schools, Jeanne L. Surface, Peter J. Smith, Kay Anne Keiser, Karen L. Hayes

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Quality educational leadership is especially critical today in the era of school improvement, student achievement, and teacher accountability. Leaders help meet ever-changing contexts and opportunities. Senge (1990) observed, “The new view of leadership in learning organizations centers on subtler and more important tasks. In learning organizations, leaders are designers, stewards, and teachers” (p. 340).

In addition to these new leadership challenges, this is a time when school resources—human as well as financial--are limited not only in PK-12 schools but to universities as well (Price, 2008). While American educators today are serving an increasingly diverse community, educators are still predominately middle-class, …

A Treatise On Diversity In A Dominant Culture University, Brenda Morton, L. Samek, A. Berardi, Debra S. Espinor, S. Song, W. White, S. Bearden

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The authors examine progress in strengthening the Diversity agenda in a school of education within a private Christian university. This agenda is informed by external academic accrediting organizations and principles of social justice congruent with the historical roots of the university. Special emphasis is placed on the unique challenges of confronting how privilege manifests itself in seemingly homogeneous environments. The ultimate goal of the authors is to promote moving beyond cosmetic compliance with accreditation obligations towards a metabolized second order change reflecting internal paradigm shifts in which social justice is a central motivating factor in one’s vocation.

The Psychology Behind Skin Bleaching In Jamaica, Petra Robinson

Petra A Robinson

No abstract provided.

Dancehall As Colonizer: Skin Bleaching In Jamaica, Petra Robinson

Petra A Robinson

No abstract provided.

Content Analysis Of 50 Picture Books For Latino Immigrant Children: Implications For Supportive Bibliotherapy, Robert Jeffrey Gomm

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed the content of 50 children's picture books, specifically award-winning picture books created for and/or about Latino immigrant children. Familiar artwork, situations, and characters help Latino immigrant children identify with the stories. Information from this analysis will help parents, teachers, and school mental health professions select appropriate books for bibliotherapy aligned with Latino immigrant children's needs. Based on this study's analyses, two resources are included: (a) a list of 20 children's picture books that address four or more Latino immigrant challenges and (b) a handout with common challenges facing immigrant children and books to specifically meet each of …

Engineers‟ Perceptions Of Diversity And The Learning Environment At Work: A Mixed Methods Study, Brenda L. Firestone

Adult Education Research Conference

Women and people of color are particularly underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) disciplines. This mixed methods study surveyed 527 engineers and interviewed eight female engineers to examine the current culture climate for diversity in engineering worksites, and how gender, race, and age intersect and affect engineers‘ perceptions of organizational inclusiveness and the learning environment surrounding diversity. Keywords: STEM, women, race, culture climate, diversity, work, mixed methods.

Confronting The Juggernaut: Establishing Pro-Diversity Initiatives At Institutions Of Higher Learning, Norman Powell

Norman W. Powell

As general and student populations become increasingly multicultural, institutions of higher learning have taken steps to implement diversity initiatives and programs. Regional and national accrediting bodies and councils have included requirements calling for the implementation of diversity initiatives at universities and colleges. In response, these institutions have established offices, created high-level administrative positions, and have developed campus centers that focus on diversity and intercultural issues. Based on previous and current experience, the author describes several diversity programs and strategies that have been implemented at post-secondary institutions. Much of the impetus for these institutions to develop diversity programs comes from the …

Education Overview, Stephen W. Mcknight

Stephen W. McKnight

No abstract provided.

Looking For A Diverse Teacher Force, Guy Trainin, William England, Britney Tonniges

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

At some point over the next 10 to 12 years, the nation’s public school student body will have no one clear racial or ethnic majority. But the makeup of the nation’s teacher workforce is not keeping up with these changing demographics. At the national level, students of color make up more than 40 percent of the public school population. In contrast, teachers of color—teachers who are not non-Hispanic white—are only 17 percent of the teaching force. (Boser,2011- Teacher Diversity Matters) This infographic presentes a snapshot of the situation in Nebraska 2012.

Must Economics Always Determine Academic Destiny? Achievement Across Time In Two Academically Equivalent But Socioeconomically Diverse Same City Catholic Schools, Roseanne L. Williby, John W. Hill

John W. Hill

The study analyzed the pretest-posttest results of high stakes test scores, absence frequencies, and high school eligibility cut scores of students who completed fourth-grade through eighth-grades in two academically equivalent but socioeconomically diverse same city Catholic schools. Study outcomes were compared for a naturally formed group of students (n = 28) who had completed fourth-grade through eighth-grades in an urban Catholic school representing fewer family socioeconomic advantages and 40% eligibility for free and reduced price lunch program participation and tuition assistance and a randomly selected group of students (n = 28) completing fourth-grade through eighth-grades in a suburban Catholic school …

Unfinished Business: Latino And Other Faculty Diversity In The Suny System, Edna Acosta-Belén, Christine E. Bose

Policy Documents

The main goal of this report is to document and assess the hiring and retention of Latino faculty, from all the different combined nationalities that fall within this particular U.S. Census rubric,at the selected sample of SUNY institutions. This is doneby rank and (where possible) by gender, beginning between 2000 and 2002 and ending either in 2009 or 2010 (depending upon the campus). Much of this data is compared tothat for African American, Asian, and non-Latino white faculty categories at the same SUNY institutions. This research project includes some recommendations aimed at improving current recruitment practices and the “unfinished business” …

Integrating Language Diversity Into Teacher Education Curricula: Teacher Candidates' Developmental Perspectives And Understandings, Jeasik Cho, Francisco Rios, Allen Trent, Kerrita K. Mayfield

Woodring College of Education Faculty Publications

This study took place at the University of Wyoming, located in the rural mountain West. The University of Wyoming, with approximately 13,000 students, is the only four-year university in the state.The teacher education population of the College of Education is about 600, and demographically, this population is about 90% White, predominately female, and from rural communities across the state and other states that border Wyoming. Likewise, most school districts in the state of Wyoming are less diverse (ethnically, racially, and linguistically) than the national averages. Given this context, the College of Education has tried to address issues of diversity at …

Immersed In The Language And Culture Of The World’S Backyard: A Study On Language Maintenance And Loss, Lucilei A. Brigido

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this paper, I, as an educator and a language learner, examine the stories of immigrants and their immersion into a second language and a new culture as they maintain and\or create identities, while considering the society in which they are immersed, the United States, which receives people from all corners of the world. The theoretical framework I draw from is life-based narrative research, as well as literature exploring the role of identities and membership in society. Life-based narratives give real faces to the stories, helping school holders and lay people to develop awareness in regard to the complexities and …

Impact Of A Cultural Partnership On Intercultural Competence Of Undergraduates, Camille Mcnabb, Samantha Tupy, Erika Koenig, Sadie Leidall

Education Presentations at National and International Conferences

This study compared changes in the intercultural competency of two groups of undergraduate students in several sections of a course, Human Relations in a Multicultural Society. The hypothesis for this study was that the intentional, cross-cultural experiences of students have an impact on the cultural competency of each student. The course in this study was designed as a response to the increasingly diverse population in the United States in terms of race, ethnicity, and culture. Diversity may also refer to behaviors, gender identity, and sexual orientation (IMDiversity, 2010). This course is taught each semester at a Midwestern public university. The …

Diverse Teacher Candidates' Perceptions Of A University's Special Education Preparation Program, Ashleigh Jay Cramer

Theses and Dissertations

As part of a four year professional development program centered on increasing cultural responsiveness at Brigham Young University, special education faculty members conducted interviews with teacher candidates who had completed the special education program. The interviews primarily focused on the candidates' experiences during their time in the program. The interviews were audio and/or videotaped and transcribed verbatim. The transcriptions were then analyzed using the inductive analysis design for qualitative research (Hatch, 2002). The candidates expressed what types of learning activities as well as what professors did or did not do that helped them to be successful. Also emerging from the …

Diversity Climate Report: 2010-2011 Heri Faculty Survey, Western Washington University. Equal Opportunity Office

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

To further Western’s commitment to supporting diverse faculty, and in response to the priorities of campus groups, including the Faculty Senate, Minority Employee Council, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Advocacy Council, Western contracted with the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA to conduct their nationally recognized Faculty Survey. Western selected HERI due to its highly respected work developing and administering campus surveys and its ability to provide benchmark data from peer institutions who participated in the 2010-2011 Faculty Survey. Western’s Equal Opportunity (EO) Office facilitated the HERI Faculty Survey and served as the primary point of contact …

Interpreting Inclusivity: An Endeavour Of Great Proportions, Richard G. Berlach, Dianne Chambers

Dianne J Chambers

Commencing with a historical account of how special needs education has informed the inclusivity debate, the authors consider the knotty problem of what is meant by inclusivity. An examination of the characteristics of inclusivity is then undertaken, and a functional school-based inclusivity framework – a three-faceted model – is proposed. The model commences with a philosophical underpinning designed to generate a number of emphases to be determined by the school. Once agreed upon, these are then operationalised for classroom practices. It is contended that the model is a defensible way of facilitating the development of an inclusivity ethos within the …

Inclusivity Imperatives And The Australian National Curriculum, Richard G. Berlach, Dianne Chambers

Dianne J Chambers

With work currently being undertaken on formulating Australia's first national curriculum, now seems an opportune time to review the current state of play with regard to how well inclusivity is being represented in the developing documentation. An accurate understanding of “what is” is often the first step in preparing for “what may be” on a much broader scale. Accordingly, this essay addresses three matters, and does so by way of engaging in interpretive documentary analysis. First, the notion of inclusivity in education per se is introduced, and the concept itself defined. Second, an examination is undertaken of how the various …

Staff Engagement And Diversity Climate Survey Report, Fall 2012, Western Washington University. Equal Opportunity Office

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

BACKGROUND In order to continue to improve Western’s campus climate and employee engagement and to enhance the University’s commitment to diversity, President Shepard facilitated the distribution of a Staff Engagement and Diversity Climate Survey (Staff Survey) on October 31, 2012. Western had conducted similar studies for faculty and students, and it was critical that the views and opinions of classified and professional staff also be collected in order to identify areas in need of improvement, work on those areas, and ascertain progress. The Human Resources Office developed a 49 item survey instrument addressing issues of staff engagement. The Equal Opportunity …